Senior BJP MLA quits party, blames state and central leadership

Tiwadi has formed his own party, Bharat Vahini Party, and said he shall admit veteran leaders from both the Congress and the BJP.

image courtesy: PTI

Jaipur:  Senior Rajasthan BJP MLA and former Education Minister Ghanshyam Tiwadi on Monday resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but said he will remain associated with the RSS.

He wrote a letter to BJP President Amit Shah holding Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and the central leadership responsible for his decision. Tiwadi has formed his own party, Bharat Vahini Party, and said he shall admit veteran leaders from both the Congress and the BJP. He has also declared to contest upcoming Assembly election from Sanganer. Around 15 MLAs in the state were in touch with him, he said. His party will contest elections on all the 200 seats in the state. Tiwadi said that in the last four years, there had been a state of lawlessness and turmoil in Rajasthan and an undeclared Emergency existed in the state. Tiwadi has been an MLA six times, a Minister two times and has been associated with the RSS for many years. Earlier, he had been openly speaking against the Chief Minister for which he was issued a notice by the party's Central Disciplinary Committee. Meanwhile, BJP's former President Ashok Parnami said the party will not be affected by Tiwadi's resignation. "Many people have left the party but their political career has come to an end," he added. The BJP state in-charge, Avinash Rai Khanna, said that the BJP was like a tree. If one fruit or leaf fell, the tree won't be impacted but the leaf and fruit will definitely be. Disciplinary proceedings were on against him for the last many months but he has chosen to resign, Khanna said.