CHANDIGARH: A day after the Punjab BJP core committee met to address the visible resentment among the party leaders, especially on the Centre’s failure to address farmers’ issues, state BJP president Ashwani Sharma and other core committee members on Tuesday called up former cabinet minister Anil Joshi to hear his grievances.
“Since they discussed my outburst in the core committee meeting on Monday, I got calls from Dushyant Gautam, Tarun Chugh, Ashwani Sharma, Madan Mohan Mittal, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Dinesh Kumar, Avinash Rai Khanna among others,” Joshi told TOI.
The former BJP MLA from Amritsar (North) said all these senior BJP leaders told him that he was painting the real ground picture and they wanted to sit with him soon so as to address various issues.
“I asked them to clear the party’s stand on farmers’ issue within 15 days, after which I would see what action is required further,” cleared Joshi.
Asked about the reports that he is in talks with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Joshi said that some of the BJP leaders were in the habit of spreading such rumours about him since long, but he is not going to leave the party, but would not keep mum on genuine issues.
“I have neither said anything against the party nor against the farm laws.
But when we have checked the patience of the farmers for so long, why are we expecting that the farmers would now budge?” said Joshi, adding that the farmers have dug their heels at the Delhi borders, come what may.
The former cabinet minister said he has clearly told all those senior BJP leaders, who called him up on phone, that their party has even seen in the BJP-ruled Haryana where the state government cannot do anything to farmers when farmers are not allowing the party to do any programmes and throwing all Covid guidelines to the wind.
Joshi claimed that after he voiced his concerns, he got calls from various BJP leaders across Punjab stating that all of them were facing wrath of people in their respective areas due to the indecisiveness of the senior BJP leadership.
“They are still taking it lightly after massive defeat in the municipal bodies elections.
If the party continues its existing adamant attitude, I fear it would not find candidates who would be ready to contest state assembly polls on 117 seats,” warned exminister Joshi.
More support for JoshiFormer cabinet minister and veteran BJP leader from Pathankot Master Mohan Lal also came in support of Joshi on Tuesday stating that Joshi was taking up genuine and visible issues.
“If the Centre fails to timely intervene and address the ongoing farmers’ protests, it will surely make a huge dent on the party prospects in Punjab,” he added.