After Bharatiya Janata Party's Jharkhand general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu issued a show-cause notice to former Union Minister and MP Jayant Sinha on May 21, asking him why he did not vote in the ongoing elections or participate in the campaigning, the latter responded on May 23 saying that he was "surprised" to receive the notice and was being "unjustly targeted".
In the notice, BJP, demanding a reply from Sinha within two days, stated: "You are not taking any interest in organisational work and election campaigning ever since the party declared Manish Jaiswal as the candidate from the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat. You did not even feel the need to exercise your vote. The party's image has been maligned because of your conduct."
To this, the former Union Minister has replied that he was "not invited for any party events, rallies, or organizational meetings."
"If the party had wanted me to participate in any election activities, you could surely have contacted me. However, not a single senior party official or MP/MLA from Jharkhand reached out to me post my announcement on 2 March," Sinha added.
On BJP's question regarding why Sinha did not cast vote in the ongoing elections, the former Union Minister clarified that he did exercise his franchise but since he was overseas for "pressing personal commitments," he voted through the postal ballot process before leaving. He also wrote that he had left India after informing the Speaker.
"It is wrong for yout to allege that I did not exercise my responsibility to vote," he said.
In the two-page reply, the two-term MP, Sinha also stated: "I was very surprised to receive your letter and discover that you have released it to the media as well."
'Requested JP Nadda To Relieve Me From Electoral Duties': Sinha
Rubbishing the party's claim that he did not participate in the campaigning since Manish Jaiswal was chosen as the candidate from the Hazaribagh seat, Singh stated in the letter: "The party announced Shri Manish Jaiswal ji as its candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. My endorsement was evident when I congratulated Shri Jaiswal ji on March 8, an event that was well-documented on social media and demonstrated my unwavering support for the party's choice."
In March, Jayant Sinha had announced that he wouldn't contest the Lok Sabha polls 2024, and also stated that he had requested BJP national president JP Nadda to relieve him from his "direct electoral duties". Sinha said he made this request as he wanted to direct his efforts towards "combating climate change in India and around the world."
Refering to this, Singh wrote in his letter: "I withdrew from the Lok Sabha elections on March 2. After consulting with Shri Nadda ji and getting his explicit approval, I made it clear publicly that I was not going to be involved in these elections. I am happy to support the party on economic and governance policies and have continued to do so."
Sinha Says Couldn't Attend Jaiswal's Nomination Rally 'Due To Late Notice'
Sinha also stated that although he had received a call from Jaiswal on the evening of April 29, inviting him to his nomination rally on May 1, he couldn't make it to the rally "due to the late notice".
However, the former Union Minister said that he did travel to Hazaribagh on May 2 and went directly to Jaiswal's residence to congratulate him and "express my regards".
"He was not present, so I conveyed my message to his family,but there was no further contact from Jaiswalji" he added.
Sinha, who has been associated with the saffron party for over 25 years, added that his "development and organizational work in Hazaribagh have been appreciated widely", which reflected in his "record" victories in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
Expresing his disappointment on receiving the letter from Sahu, Sinha wrote: "Given my contributions to the party and the circumstances detailed above, the public issuance of your letter is unseemly. Your approach demoralizes dedicated party workers and undermines the party's collective efforts. Additionally, despite my loyalty and hard work for the party, it appears that I am being unjustly targeted."