VIJAYAWADA: While BJP State chief Somu Veerraju has clarified what the party has been saying all along that the party is in favour of Amaravati, discontent seems to be simmering among some members as the party had earlier suspended a few for echoing similar views on the capital issue. However, the top brass of the state unit ruled out any issues in the party and said that suspensions, which were endorsed by the entire party, were done to set the house in order especially after people from other parties joined the BJP.
After Somu Veerraju took over the party reins in the State in July, three members were suspended for airing views on Amaravati that were more in line with the TDP. While similar remarks by an MP were considered personal views, action was initiated against a few from the state. A couple of them had also clarified that they had not gone beyond the party’s stand.
With Somu Veerraju, in an interaction with Amaravati farmers in Thullur on Monday, stating in the capacity of “Narendra Modi’s representative” that there was no ambiguity in the BJP’s stand regarding the issue of capital, a few members in the party wondered as to why suspensions were made in the past for stating the same.
A senior leader from the party, however, said that suspensions were more in line with the members participating in television debates or writing in newspapers without any authorisation. “Our party has passed a political resolution in favour of Amaravati and there has been no change in that. Those who were suspended were neither official spokespersons nor office-bearers. They were not authorised to communicate the party’s stand. Hence, the action was endorsed by the party. There is no question of discontent as well as our state chief has said what we have been saying all along,” a senior state office-bearer said.
For the record, the state unit had passed a political resolution favouring Amaravati’s development when Kanna Lakshminarayana was the chief. However, when Kanna had written a letter to the Governor in July asking the latter not to give assent to the capital bills sent by the state back then, he was asked by a miffed central leadership, which thought the letter reflected “TDP sentiments”, as to why the letter was written without consulting it. Later, Somu was appointed as the new chief. Ever since, the party has been maintaining the same stand as its political resolution.