Sources close to Jaitley told TIMES NOW that he has refused to attend the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting till the time Mittal is a part of the meeting.
However, Jaitley made an appearance at the unveiling of party’s vision document at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi today (March 14), in an attempt to quell reports of rift within the party.
Jaitley, who is in-charge of the all-India campaign strategy for BJP, arrived late to the event where Advani unveiled the party’s IT vision and shared the dias with party president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Shourie.
Jaitley is reportedly unhappy over the appointment of Sudhanshu Mittal, a businessman known for his high connections, as co-convener of North-East Affairs and is said to have registered his protest on the issue to the party leadership.
Confirming that Jaitley “had raised an issue”, senior leader M Venkiah Naidu, however, sought to downplay the matter saying that it was being sorted out. He said in Bangalore that Jaitley had attended a series of meetings at Advani’s house yesterday.
The party seems divided right down the middle, with camps emerging on the issue. The Advani camp includes general secretaries Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Those who back Party President Rajnath Singh, thus ignoring Jaitley’s issue, are senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, Murli Manohar Joshi and Venkaiah Naidu.
Jaitley is reportedly unhappy with the selection of the party’s campaign leader for the North East and remained absent from the party’s CEC’s session to express his unhappiness over the issue.
The appointment of Mittal, known to be close to BJP President Rajnath Singh, was made without consultation with Jaitley. Jaitley heads a seven-member committee constituted to formulate the BJP’s policies.
Moreover, Jaitley considers Sudhanshu Mittal a political lightweight, sources said.
Mittal was also interrogated by the Delhi Police in 2006 for ‘destroying evidence’ after Mahajan’s son Rahul was implicated in a cocaine scandal. He was the first to reach Apollo Hospital where Rahul Mahajan was admitted and reportedly ordered a “stomach wash” before the police could get there.
Mittal himself told reporters today that he did not feel that Jaitley would be opposed to his appointment and that he was also in the party for long.
This virtual challenge to Rajnath, who appointed Mittal, has come at a crucial juncture when the BJP is reeling under the crisis stemming from the break-up of the alliance with BJD in Orissa.
