The fire of anger among senior leaders of the BJP has begun to crackle and spat sparks after the expansion of cabinet on Thursday.
In a statement, former chief minister Uma Bharati said caste equation had gone haywire, and her suggestions were ignored.
It is an offence to those with whom she has been associated with for long time, Uma wrote.
She has discussed about it with state in charge of the party Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, state president VD Sharma and organisation secretary Suhas Bhagat.
According to sources in the BJP, the names of legislators Jalam Singh Patel, Premshanker Verma, Rajesh Prajapati and Harishanker Khatik were recommended for ministerial berth. Uma is gnashing her teeth, because none of them has been inducted into the cabinet.
Her nephew is also an MLA, but she did not recommend his name for a cabinet berth. She wrote: Though she is a Sanyasin, she has let the party take the advantage of her being a Hindu, an Indian, a woman and a Lodhi.
A particular caste was kept in mind when she was asked to campaign for the party in Jhansi and a candidate was fielded from there, she said.
Uma’s statement has rattled the BJP. The party leadership refused to react to it, but the Congress said cracks began to appear in the ruling dispensation.
