"Will contest Lok Sabha elections from home constituency, says Manvendra Singh after quitting BJP
After quitting the party, with the slogan "Kamal Ka Phool, Hamaari Bhool", BJP veteran Jaswant Singh's son Manvendra Singh, launched a scathing attack on the style of functioning of the party, both at the state and the central level. "There is a problem with the culture of governance and there is rampant corruption," he told NDTV on Saturday. Manvendra however, did not specify exact incidents of alleged corruption.
Quitting BJP was directly based on disagreements on "ideological grounds" said Manvendra Singh. Attacking the party's core ideology, he said "they don't know what hindutva means" and there is deliberate polarization, which is unfortunate."
When asked about the recent cases of lynching in Rajasthan, Manvendra Singh it "worried" him and blamed the Vasundhara Raje government for being unable to contain it. "The kind of hatred you see on the roads is shocking and the steps taken to counter it are worse. Nothing is being done to stop the rampant hate and the kind of messaging that's going around," he told NDTV.
Yesterday amid thousands of supporters and senior Rajput leaders at the Swabhiman rally, he said that he had been maintaining silence for the last four-and-a-half years obeying central BJP leaders but, now he has "lost patience."
"The wounds are deepening and there is nobody to listen," he said. Manvendra Singh's ties with the BJP have been strained ever since his father was denied a ticket in the last Lok Sabha elections in 2014.
While concluding his address at the rally he sought the opinion of the people on his decision of leaving BJP. The crowd in unison responded saying "BJP Chhodo". The lawmaker representing Sheo in the state assembly however, has not revealed whether he will join the Congress.
"My fight for self-respect will spread to the entire state and its impact will also echo at the central level. I will contest the Lok Sabha elections from home," he said, referring to the Barmer-Jaisalmer parliamentary constituency, which was once represented by his father.