The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is embroiled in controversy at both Centre and Maharashtra, on Saturday served a notice to state MLA Raj Purohit. The party has sought an explanation from Purohit over the issue.
The notice was served to the MLA for allegedly criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Purohit was caught on a video slamming PM Modi.
In the video, the BJP MLA was also critical of party chief Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Alleging that there was no democracy within the BJP, Purohit had said that there was centralisation of power.
Referring to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, the MLA had said that Devendra Fadnavis was "helpless" and "under pressure" from a real estate agent Lodha.
The party said that Purohit's action "breached" organisational discipline, and asked him to reply to its state president Raosaheb Danve within three days, failing to which action would be taken against him.
"Purohit, a former minister and MLA from Colaba in Mumbai, has been asked to explain his position and give a written explanation within three days," said a BJP spokesperson.
The video clip, aired by some channels and also uploaded on a few websites, has left the BJP red-faced, at a time when the party is under attack from its rivals at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
In the video, Purohit is shown to agree with the interviewer, whose identity is unknown, that Modi and Shah are the only ones wielding power in the party and there is no internal democracy in the BJP.
On the Centre's policies, he was shown saying that "Narendra-bhai is doing good work, but he should avoid the mistakes he is making. Some of his decisions are alienating certain groups like traders, who are the BJP's hardcore supporters.
"People talk of collective leadership, but it is simply absent. This is a dangerous sign for the party," he purportedly said.
He is also heard describing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as "helpless" in the face of "pressure from above" and from influential individuals like builder and Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha and ridiculing Raj Thackeray as a "bogus" leader.
The sting also shows Purohit claiming that he is the senior most BJP leader after Eknath Khadse (Excise Minister) in the state and "should have been made a minister". Purohit has claimed that the voice in the video was not his.
(With PTI Inputs)
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