DEHRADUN/ROORKEE: Infighting rocked the Uttarakhand unit of Bharatiya Janata
Party
soon after culmination of polling on Monday with the party’s
MLA from
Laksar
, Sanjay
Gupta
(below), accusing state party president and Haridwar MLA Madan
Kaushik of “sabotaging" the former's chances at the hustings and plotting his defeat.
Gupta alleged that Kaushik “internally” supported Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Mohammad Shahzad against him. A purported video of the 52-year-old legislator accusing Kaushik of “anti-party activities" has been circulating on social media platforms. In the video, Gupta can be heard saying: “His men indulged in cross-voting against me in Laksar. He is a traitor and should be expelled from the party.”
Despite repeated attempts, Kaushik couldn’t be reached for comments on the serious allegations levelled against him. However, asked about the issue, Suresh Joshi,
BJP's Uttarakhand spokesperson, said, “Party workers facing any issue should highlight their concerns at an appropriate platform within the party for redressal rather than opt for social media posts. We will take appropriate action as per party rules against all those -- whether an MLA or a functionary -- who indulge in acts of indiscipline.” Reacting to the controversy, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said, "The authenticity of his (Gupta's) allegations is being looked into."
Talking to TOI, Gupta said, “Kaushik nominated unpopular candidates from many seats to hurt BJP’s poll prospects. In Laksar, he asked his men to vote against me."
This isn’t the first time Sanjay Gupta, who has held on to the Laksar seat since 2012, has taken a stand against the saffron party.
In 2018, he slammed the party’s move to allow construction of a slaughterhouse at Manglaur.
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