Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 11: Contrary to tall claims of ethics and ideology, the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party is learnt to have set money power as the eligibility criteria for selection of new State president of the party unit in Jammu and Kashmir.
Including some sitting MLAs and MLCs, more than half a dozen serious contenders are in race for the top post, which is going to fall vacant on completion of three year tenure of the incumbent president Jugal Kishore Sharma next month.
Even as these contenders are leaving no stone unturned for lobbying to seek support for their candidature, sources said that the BJP high command has unofficially set new criteria of eligibility for the new president. Unlike past practice, when association with the party ideologue RSS was considered as most important criteria for getting top position in BJP, money power has now dominated this qualification, admitted one of the contenders on the condition of anonymity.
According to the sources in BJP circles, the party high command has the opinion that a person with money power and based in Jammu city can run the party more efficiently in comparison to others. In support of their claim, sources added, the high command attributes the failures of incumbent president Jugal Kishore and his predecessor Shamsher Singh Manhas to their inability of generating enough funds for the party.
Further, sources informed that the BJP State unit as well as Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh have been made it clear that they should no more look towards the high command for funding the party affairs in Jammu and Kashmir where they are in power now. J&K is not the exception and a similar message has also been conveyed to the party units in Haryana and other States, where BJP has come to power, sources added.
In view of the changed scenario, sources said that other contenders for the top post, who have no money power, are feeling dejected while one of the sitting MLAs from Jammu city is being considered ahead in the race for new president. |
