On a day when the BJP came out with the long-awaited list of its national office-bearers, senior party leader from West Bengal and outgoing national secretary Rahul Sinha has revolted against the leadership.
Sinha, party's former state president, said he had been sacrificed by the BJP to accommodate former Trinamool Congress leaders.
"I would not say anything against the decision except the fact that I would decide my future course of action in next 10 to 12 days," he said.
Earlier, BJP president J.P. Nadda announced his new team where a number of senior leaders have been replaced. The party dropped big names like Uma Bharti, Ram Madhav, Saroj Pandey and Muralidhar Rao. There has been speculation that Ram Madhav might enter Narendra Modi's cabinet. Rao had played a key role in party's success in Telangana.
From West Bengal, the party named Mukul Roy as vice president and replaced Sinha with Anupam Hazra as the national secretary. Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has been made a national spokesman.
While Roy's elevation in the party was expected, the inclusion of Visva Bharati professor Hazra, a former Bolepur MP of Trinamool Congress, is a big surprise.
Meanwhile, Sinha was not given any place even in the team of party's West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh.
While party sources said that all is not lost for Sinha, some sources said he was a very idle leader.
"He was made national secretary when Dilip da became Bengal unit president. But he did not make much contribution since then. He would have to work hard during Bengal election. So he was discharged of his duty in the central committee of the party," said a senior leader.
Sinha, a loyalist of BJP patriarch L.K. Advani, said he was a foot soldier of the party for the last four decades.
Sources said all eyes are now on Nadda to know whether he will make big changes in the state-in-charge list. Given the long time he took to announce his team, it is speculated that he would give a rejig in that team as well.
