AMRITSAR: Senior BJP leader and former minister Anil Joshi, who has challenged the stand of the party’s central leadership on the farmers’ agitation, skipped BJP’s state executive body meeting on Tuesday.
But in a continuous effort to defuse the “embarrassing” situation following Joshi’s outburst on the issue, the BJP leadership has talked to the former minister.
Talking to TOI after the executive body meeting, BJP general secretary and in-charge, Majha zone, Jeevan Gupta said the issue of Joshi’s opinion and his grudges on the party’s stand on farmers’ agitation surfaced during the meeting.
“I only know that our senior leadership has talked to Joshi and conveyed that he should have taken up the subject on an appropriate platform,” Gupta said, adding that Joshi stayed away from the meeting.
Sources, however, said some close aides and former ministerial colleagues of Joshi have suggested the party leadership to find a way to defuse the situation that has already brought much embarrassment to the party and prevent it from escalating further.
“Since we are a disciplined party, so some action needs to be taken against those who have violated the discipline at least to set the precedent for the future,” party sources said.
Sources said after the induction of former inspector general of police (IG) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh into AAP and possibilities of Kunwar contesting from Amritsar North seat, where Joshi had won twice and lost once, the deliberations were held to change Joshi’s constituency if he remains with the BJP.
Gupta said the party would contest all the 117 assembly seats in Punjab.
Confirming that Joshi didn’t attend the virtual meeting held at Amritsar, district BJP president Suresh Mahajan said there was no dispute with Joshi who is believed to be out of the city for the past three to four days.
AAP holds meeting Sources said Majha zone leadership of AAP held a meeting in Amritsar on Tuesday to decide over the ‘safe’ seat for Kunwar and how to respond and counterattack the Akali’s as well as Congress’s allegations on Kunwar being an ‘tainted cop’.
“We are also preparing to face live debates on TV channels,” said party sources.