"Unjustly Targeted": BJP MP On Party Issuing Show Cause Notice For Not Participating In Lok Sabha Campaign (image@jayantsinha)

Jayant Sinha, former Union Minister and MP, responded to BJP, which sent him a show cause notice for not participating in the Lok Sabha poll campaigns. Responding to BJP”s Jharkhand general secretary Aditya Sahu”s letter, Sinha said that he voted through the postal ballot process as he was overseas due to personal commitments.

On Tuesday, the party issued a show cause notice on Sinha for not participating in its “organisational work”, and “election campaign”, ever since the party fielded Manish Jaiswal as the candidate from the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency. The Jharkhand unit of BJP wrote to Sinha that his conduct has “maligned” the party”s image.

Sinha responded to the letter and said that he was surprised to receive the letter and discover that it was released to the media as well. He also mentioned that he communicated with the national chief of the party, J P Nadda on March 2, mentioning that he would step down from electoral responsibilities this year. The party chief gave his “explicit approval”, he added.

My response to Shri Aditya Sahu ji’s letter sent on May 20, 2024 pic.twitter.com/WfGIIyTvdz

— Jayant Sinha (Modi Ka Parivar) (@jayantsinha) May 22, 2024

Sinha went on to say that, “if the party had wanted me to participate in any election activities, you could surely have contacted me. However, not a single senior party official or MP/MLA from Jharkhand reached out to me post my announcement on March 2. I was not invited for any party events, rallies, or organisational meetings”.

The sitting MP of Hazaribagh further added that he left India on May 10, due personal commitments overseas and before leaving the country, he casted his vote through “postal ballot process”. “It is wrong to allege that I did not exercise my responsibility to vote”, said Sinha in his letter.

He also voiced his disappointment in the party”s decision to issue show cause notice on him. He said given his contribution to the party, the public issuance of the letter is unseemly, and the approach demoralises dedicated party workers and the party”s collective efforts. He said he was “unjustly targeted” by the BJP and said, “To send me a letter after the election is over is incomprehensible”.