Thaindian News

Jammu, May 31 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday night expelled its seniormost leader in Jammu and Kashmir and former union minister Chaman Lal Gupta on charges of gross indiscipline.

The party earlier suspended Gupta and six legislators last month for cross-voting during the legislative council elections April 13.

Gupta expressed his ignorance about the expulsion order. “I will react only when I get the notice,” he said.

“They (party leadership) must realise that I am the architect of the party and have strengthened it all along,” Gupta told IANS.

Gupta and six other legislators were charged with voting for the ruling National Conference-Congress candidates in the council elections, ignoring the party whip which required all of them to vote for party candidate Ranjit Singh Thakur.

Thakur polled only four votes, though the party strength in the assembly was 11.

A communication by the party’s parliamentary board in which the decision was taken to “expel Chaman Lal Gupta from the party for six years” was circulated to media.

A letter from the board’s secretary Ananth Kumar said that the parliamentary board meeting was attended among others by party president Nitin Gadkari and chairman of the parliamentary board L.K. Advani.

“The parliamentary board noted with concern anti-party activities of Chaman Lal Gupta who already has been suspended for his anti-party activities,” the letter said.

It took particular note of Gupta’s act of issuing show cause notice to four legislators, whom the party had exonerated from the charges of cross voting.

The letter said that the expulsion of Gupta, BJP legislature party leader, will be communicated to the assembly speaker and also the president of the state unit Shamsher Singh Manhas.

The party did not take any action against six other legislators who were also charged with cross-voting and suspended from the party.