Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sanjay Joshi Sunday appealed against putting up posters with his pictures and attacking BJP leaders as this would harm the party’s image.

“This is a job of conspirators, yet I appeal to all my well-wishers and supporters to refrain from putting up any posters or issue pamphlets,” said Joshi, adding that such posters which depict his picture and attack a leader cannot be put up by his well-wishers.

Though Joshi, a bitter foe of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, quit the BJP June 8, the appeal was issued on a BJP letterhead.

Several posters that did not refer to Modi by name but blamed Joshi’s exit from BJP’s national executive due to the stubborness of “one leader” — a clear reference to Modi appeared June 5 outside the BJP headquarters in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

The multi-colour posters had a large image of Joshi, and described his forced exit from the national executive as “bullying”.

In his appeal Sunday, Joshi seemed to make an indirect attack on Modi indirectly as he stressed the importance of the party above an individual leader.

“Such activities harm the party’s image and I have always considered the party above myself. The importance of an individual is due to the organisation,” said Joshi.

“For me, the party and its ideology is above all. We are significant only as long as the BJP is there, hence we should not take any step that would harm the party,” he added.

Modi and Joshi have been at loggerheads for years. Modi stayed away from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh this year after Gadkari made Joshi one of the key people in the party’s election campaign.

Both Modi and Joshi have strong ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).