Veteran tribal leader quits BJP ahead of Chandigarh polls

RAIPUR: In a major blow to BJP ahead of assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, veteran tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai, a former party president in undivided MP, resigned from the party’s primary membership, saying that he had to prioritise his self-respect.
The 77-year-old was the leader of opposition after Chhattisgarh was created and was considered a frontrunner for the chief minister’s post in the 2003 elections.One of the seniormost members of BJP, his resignation sent shockwaves through the party rank and file.
In a letter to BJP state president Arun Sao, Sai said, “...Given the damage being done to my image and reputation within the party, I have no other choice but to prioritise my self-respect.”
Sai also posted a video on his Facebook page, explaining how the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee nursed and led the party and how he treated every party worker with respect.
Sao confirmed that he had received Sai’s resignation letter: “Sai is a very senior leader of the party and he has played a crucial role in carrying forward the party in Chhattisgarh. We tried to contact him, but could not reach him. We will try to overcome the misunderstandings once we are able to contact him,” he said.
The veteran leader’s resignation comes at a time when the opposition BJP is desperate to regain its foothold in the tribal areas of Surguja and Bastar, where it had lost all the seats to Congress in the 2018 assembly elections.