Rajasthan: Vasundhara baiter Ghanshyam Tiwari returns to BJP two years after quitting party

Tiwari said he is completely committed to the BJP's ideology and though he had shared the stage with the Congress once, he had never accepted its membership.
State BJP president Satish Poonia (L) and Ghanshyam Tiwari at BJP office in Jaipur on Saturday. (Photo | EPS)
State BJP president Satish Poonia (L) and Ghanshyam Tiwari at BJP office in Jaipur on Saturday. (Photo | EPS)

JAIPUR: Veteran Rajasthan leader Ghanshyam Tiwari, who had quit the BJP two years ago, made a Ghar Wapsi to the saffron party on Saturday. Tiwari, a five-time MLA, had resigned from the BJP in June 2018 following sharp differences with the then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje over several issues. 

He joined the BJP at an event held at the party headquarters in Jaipur where State party president Satish Poonia renewed his membership.

Speaking to the media on this occasion, Tiwari remarked, "After a long time, I am getting a chance to speak from this platform. I thank the party leadership which considered my letter to join the party." Tiwari said he is completely committed to the BJP's ideology and though he had shared the stage with the Congress once, he had never accepted its membership.

Tiwari further asserted that he was always with the BJP with his heart and soul but formed a new party due to some special circumstances. Before resigning from the BJP in June 2018, Tiwari had been at loggerheads with the Vasundhara Raje-led state dispensation over a host of issues including farmers' plight, the demand of reservations for upper castes, and a range of corruption charges. 

Tiwari had formed a new party, called the 'Bharat Vahini Party' ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly elections in 2018 but though it contested many seats, it could not win any. Even Tiwari personally lost from the Sanganer seat in Jaipur.

Tiwari and the BJP are now keen to forget the past. The veteran leader had made some stinging remarks while quitting the BJP. While he was a known critic of Vasundhara Raje, he had even targeted the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah dispensation in the BJP while tendering his resignation in 2018. "I will now work against undeclared emergency in the country and the state to ensure that no one tries to strangulate democratic institutions for power," Tiwari had said back then.

Party insiders say Tiwari’s return to the BJP was delayed due to opposition of Raje and her loyalists but as the anti-Vasundhara camp is now calling the shots in the state unit, Tiwari could finally stage a return. Sources also said that BJP president JP Nadda made a move to bring Tiwari back into the BJP fold.

Tiwari had, in the past, been the Deputy Leader of Opposition and also a cabinet minister in past BJP governments led by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Vasundhara Raje. Tiwari was also a key member of the RSS lobby in Rajasthan which has often opposed Raje’s leadership.

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