In a conciliatory gesture with the ruling BJP, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Dr Kirodi Lal Meena has affirmed his loyalty to the party and clarified that he did not breach the organisational discipline.
Replying to the show cause notice served upon him by BJP state president Madan Rathore on Monday, the senior member of the Bhajan Lal Sharma Cabinet, denied the charges of tarnishing the party image and violation of the party’s internal discipline.
Meena said “I was having inputs that my phone was being tapped, I neither talked to the media about it nor did I speak at any public or party function. I shared this matter with my own people at a social programme and someone had somehow made that bite of mine”.
The veteran party leader, Mr Meena also reposed faith and loyalty in the party and said – “I am a disciplined soldier of the BJP and have always worked for the party”.
Meena was served with the notice on Monday that was returnable within three days. He sent his reply to the party state president by e-mail on Wednesday.
The copies of the reply were also sent to party’s national president J P Nadda, organisational general secretary B L Santhosh, Rajasthan state unit incharge Radha Mohan Das Agrawal and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Meena has been maintaining ‘sour’ relations with the party for several months. He had tendered his resignation from the ministerial post in June following the defeat of BJP candidates on some seats under his supervision in the general elections last year. The resignation was still pending before Chief Minister Sharma.
Since then embarrassing situations have been created between Meena and the party on several occasions.
Last week itself, Minister Meena’s allegations at a community programme about his phone tapping had rocked the state assembly, marring the proceedings for the whole day on February 7.