NEW DELHI, April 5: At least five Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from Bihar have dissociated themselves from the campaign launched by party dissidents in the State against general secretary K N Govindacharya demanding the withdrawal of the latter's organisational responsibilities pertaining to the state.The MPs - Rabindra Kumar Pande, Krishna Choudhary, Ram Tahal Choudhary, Vijay Krishna Mandal and Ramji Rishideo - have informed the central leadership that their signatures had been obtained by state vice-president Yashodanand Singh for a different purpose but appended to the letter raising the demand against Govindacharya.Singh, they alleged, had secured their signatures. Their demand was that the new state chief to replace Yashwant Sinha, who steps down next week following his induction in the Union cabinet, should be ``duly elected'' instead of opting for a consensus or nomination process. But the statement was reportedly altered to blame Govindacharya entirely for the party's poor showing in therecent elections in the State.Incidentally, the dissidents led by Singh are closely identified with Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and his protege, Ashwini Kumar, a former chief of the state unit. The move has a bearing at the national level as Govindacharya is being considered for the post of general secretary (Organisation), virtually no. 2 in the organisational set-up, after the present incumbent Kushabhau Thakre takes over as party president early next month.Joshi still nurses a grievance against Govindacharya for denial of a second term as party national president in 1993.The clarification by the MPs comes in the wake of disapproval expressed by the central leadership Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Thakre of the way in which the dissidents have aired their grievances in the media before conveying them to the leadership.Thakre, a strong disciplinarian, is said to be contemplating expelling Singh and others if they do not desist from the campaign. He islikely to take it up with Advani and Vajpayee when he comes to Delhi from his North-east trip on April 8, party sources said.Earlier, the dissidents demanded Govindacharya's removal from the state on the eve of elections, alleging that he was promoting groupism and favouring his people in selection of candidates.The dissidents want either Tarakant Jha, who unsuccessfully contested the recent election or Yashodanand Singh to take over from Yashwant Sinha. Govindacharya favours Nand Kishore Yadav who acted as campaign convener for the state during the elections. Advani is likely to nominate the new president in consultation with both sides before the national executive meeting on April 11 and 12 in Delhi.
