The Bharatiya Janata Party may not take any disciplinary action against Union Minister for Rural Development Shanta Kumar for his anti-party utterings in the immediate aftermath of the BJP's defeat in Himachal Pradesh assembly election in February.
This was indicated by a senior leader of the party in New Delhi on Saturday in an informal conversation with rediff.com.
"Shanta Kumar has already met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishanchand Advani and given his explanation," the BJP leader said.
Kumar was served a show-cause notice by party general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on the directive of the party president Venkaiah Naidu after he blamed Prem Kumar Dhumal government's poor performance for the party's poll debacle in Himachal.
"We have not set any time limit for [Kumar] to give an explanation," Naqvi told rediff.com over the phone from Hyderabad.
Another senior party leader, J P Mathur, said that the issue was as good as dead now as Kumar had given his explanation to the prime minister Vajpayee and the deputy prime minister.
A senior party functionary said Kumar was sought to be made a scapegoat by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had campaigned extensively in Himachal. "Prem Kumar Dhumal was Modi's choice in Himachal. Also, he [Modi]had a score to settle because Kumar had demand his resignation after the communal trouble in Gujarat," he added.
When contacted, Shanta Kumar said the matter was likely to be resolved amicably. "I have told Vajpayeeji and Advaniji what I had to tell them. I have nothing to tell to the media. I hope the matter would be sorted out soon," he said.
The party has appointed Pramod Mahajan, general secretary in-charge of Himachal Pradesh, to go into the causes of the party's defeat in the assembly polls. Mahajan was not available for comment.
