Modi pressurised BJP to suspend party MPs: Rana

BJP MP Kashiram Rana alleges that Chief Minister Narendra Modi has "pressurised the party-leadership" to take action against them.

BJP MP Kashiram Rana, who has been issued notice for "hurting the party's interests" in the Gujarat assembly elections, on Friday alleged that Chief Minister Narendra Modi has "pressurised the party-leadership" to take action against them.

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"I have not received the notice yet and so I will not comment," Rana said about the party's decision to issue a notice to him and veteran leader Keshubhai Patel.

Reacting to the suspensions of BJP MPs Somabhai Patel and Vallabh Kathiria, he said, "I have held the post of the state-unit president for a while and so I feel that both Somabhai and Kathiria should have been issued notices before suspending them from the (primary membership) party".

"I feel that Modi has pressurised the party-leadership to evoke the suspensions," he said.

"However, we have already told the party high-command that we are not going to leave the party as our grievance is against Modi and not against the BJP," Rana remarked.
"In past too, Modi created similar pressure on the party to get us removed from it," he added.

Rane said he had been silent for the past two years but "now I cannot wait any longer" to make his views known.

The minister was instrumental in making Congress the single largest party in Maharashtra as several Sena MLAs, owing allegiance to him, quit and won the bye-elections on a Congress ticket.

NCP had emerged as the single largest party in the state after the October 2004 state assembly elections.