Lok Sabha elections: Denied ticket in Delhi, Udit Raj hits out at BJP

Sitting MP from the reserved northwest Delhi parliamentary seat Udit Raj Tuesday claimed he was being forced to quit the BJP but said he has not taken a decision on the matter yet.

BJP MP Udit Raj.

After being denied a Lok Sabha ticket, sitting BJP MP from North West Delhi Udit Raj on Tuesday accused the party of ignoring the hard work of ticket aspirants and instead depending on some "inscrutable internal standards". Raj's statement comes hours after the BJP dropped him as a candidate for the May 12 polls and fielded in his place singer Hans Raj Hans from the North West Delhi seat. Raj said the BJP has hurt him. "Entire India thinks that BJP offers tickets based on hard work, honesty and capability. It appears this is not the truth. The decision to offer the ticket or deny it is based on some inscrutable internal standards," IANS quoted Raj as saying. Udit Raj, a former Indian Revenue Service officer, resigned from his post and formed the Indian Justice Party in 2003. He later merged his Indian Justice Party with the BJP in 2014. He contested the 2014 election on BJP ticket and won. The MP said that a number of things came to his mind about "why I have been denied a BJP ticket".

Press conference https://t.co/6i5pD6u8aN

— Chowkidar Dr. Udit Raj, MP (@Dr_Uditraj) April 23, 2019

In a statement, he questioned if it was his fault that he is a senior Dalit leader. "Doesn't the BJP want a leader who has been chosen by Dalits themselves?" "In the presence of PM Modi I had raised a question in Parliament: is Supreme Court against Dalits and poor. Was it my fault to speak on their behalf?" he asked.

मेरे टिकट का नाम देरी होने पर पूरे देश में मेरे दलित समर्थकों में रोष है और जब मेरी बात पार्टी नहीं सुन रही तो आम दलित कैसे इंसाफ पायेगा।

— Chowkidar Dr. Udit Raj, MP (@Dr_Uditraj) April 23, 2019

He also asked if taking out a rally against Supreme Court for sealing was an error. "Are these the reasons for ticker denial? I deeply regret that BJP is hurting me," he said. He also said that he topped on all the surveys on the performance of the MPs. "All BJP workers know that the party engaged four agencies for a performance survey of MPs. I topped in all surveys." "When these endorse my performance and capability, then why was ticket denied to me? What is the criteria?" he asked. He said he felt "deeply hurt" that he was not even given a chance to defend himself. "The entire experience of the ticket denial was not graceful. I was not taken into confidence and that left me feel like an orphan today," he said. He claimed he was being forced to quit the BJP but said he has not taken a decision on the matter yet. "I will not contest as an independent candidate. They (BJP) are forcing me to leave the party but I have not taken a decision on quitting. I will consult my supporters across the country," PTI quoted Raj as saying. The BJP MP has been a vocal supporters of Dalits and has often held views contrary to the party's stand, especially during the the Sabrimala issue and 'Bharat Bandh' called by Dalit organisations last year. (With inputs from agencies)