Discontent rumbles in Delhi BJP: two spokespersons quit WhatsApp groups

A few months before the municipal elections and the BJP facing three terms of opposition to power, discontent is brewing among some of the leaders of the party’s unity in Delhi.
BJP spokespersons Tajinder Bagga and Harish Khurana are said to be unhappy that state leaders have not been “properly represented and accountable” for some time.
Bagga, who has more than 7 million followers on Twitter, removed his party IDs from his username bio. He had previously read “BJP spokesperson BJP Karyakarta, BJP MLA candidate Hari Nagar Vidhan Sabha, Swayamsevak”.
A senior BJP official said Bagga was previously unhappy that he had not been given the post of president of the youth wing and instead continued as a spokesperson. âLast week it was removed from three WhatsApp groups for party spokespersons, but was added again on Tuesday. However, he left these groups, âsaid a senior BJP leader, who is also a spokesperson for the party.
When contacted, Bagga said it was up to the party to comment on the case.
Sources said Harish Khurana, son of former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana, had also quit most of the party’s WhatsApp groups, including those of spokespersons and office officials, as he was unhappy at not not being sufficiently represented in party platforms. As a senior member of the Delhi BJP, sources said, Khurana feels ignored.
Khurana had previously threatened to resign from the post of spokesperson, which he had held for more than ten years, as he demanded a post of official. He also applied for a ticket to the legislative elections last year, but was refused.
Delhi BJP media chief Naveen Kumar meanwhile sought to downplay the incident and said Khurana was an integral part of the party’s WhatsApp groups, while Bagga “could have changed phones”.
Senior party officials said several leaders who were part of the team of former Delhi BJP chairman Manoj Tiwari were not given any party positions this time around. This includes former Vice President Shazia Ilmi, former Secretary General Ravinder Gupta and Rajesh Bhatia, who have distanced themselves from state leaders.
âWe have a battery of experienced and politically sound people. Some of them are followed en masse on social media and others in the field. Each has its importance. The MCD elections are less than a year away and if we are to put on a good show we will have to bring everyone together, âsaid a senior BJP leader.