Former BJP speaker and sitting MLA from Shahpur assembly constituency Kailash Meghwa was suspended on Wednesday from his primary membership by the state BJP President on the grounds of gross party indiscipline and violation of the party’s constitution.
The veteran leader had recently spoken against Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal for alleged ‘corrupt practices’.
In a video statement, president of State Disciplinary Committee Onkar Singh Lakhawat said, “The BJP State President C P Joshi has ordered the suspension of Kailash Meghwal from his primary membership for going against the party’s constitution and discipline in public domain openly.”
The entire matter, including the reply of the former assembly speaker and senior-most MLA on the notice served to him, will be forwarded to the state and Central Discipline Committee for further action, Lakhawat said.
Eighty-nine-year-old Kailash was served ten days’ notice to explain his accusation in a public meeting against the Union Law Minister Arjun Ram, BJP MP from Bikaner, of indulging in corrupt practices and playing politics against him to downgrade him.
A video of Kailash announcing that he would write to PM Modi exposing the corruption cases involving Arjun Ram has gone viral late last month.
Earlier in the day, Kailash told a press conference here, “I have been expelled by BJP, I will contest the elections and defeat the BJP candidate by thousands of votes. I have written a long letter to PM Narendra Modi about the corrupt practices of Law Minister Arjun who has given a false affidavit to the Election Commission”.
“How come a corrupt person like Arjun Meghwal can be the law minister of the country,” he alleged and added, “The BJP in Rajasthan is divided into factions. A conspiracy is being hatched to completely eliminate Vasundhara Raje’s camp”.
Saying that he belongs to the Raje group, Kailash said, “There is a group of Satish Poonia, former state president, Rajendra Rathore group, Leader of Opposition, CP Joshi, present state president, and all playing politics against Raje”.
Showing his long-notice reply to the media, Kailash further charged, “Arjun Meghwal has been a corrupt officer. From industrial service to being a collector, Arjun committed many corruptions. While being the Collector in Churu, he had allotted the land belonging to the Martyr Soldier’s Veerangana’s quota to the wrong people from the Housing Board. A complaint was made and ACB registered a case. Investigation was done twice. FR was introduced under pressure. The Sessions Court Judge had expressed his displeasure and said that pressure is being created in this case”.
In a direct blow at the senior party leaders, Kailash blamed, “Imported leaders dominate in BJP. CP Joshi, present state president, has come from NSUI. Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore has come from the Janata Party. Both have nothing to do with the ideology of the BJP. These are people who have come to do politics of convenience”.
The Congress government to which he always made compliments in the assembly session said, “If Ashok Gehlot does good work, I praise him. There has been brotherhood politics in Rajasthan and I have the best relations in this brotherhood politics. There is no one with whom my relations will deteriorate”.