Jammu & Kashmir

JK unit of BJP expels former MLA Gagan Bhagat on charges of alleged involvement in ‘indiscipline, immorality’

FILE PHOTO.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expelled MLA Gagan Bhagat from the party on charges of his alleged involvement in “indiscipline and immorality.”

The development comes after the Supreme Court of India dismissed his plea challenging the dissolution of the JK Assembly, stating that it had ‘no merit’ in it.

JK Governor Satya Pal Malik had dissolved the Assembly moments after regional parties Naional Conference, Peoples’ Democratic Party and the JK unit of the Congress staked a claim to form the government.

JK Peoples Conference Sajad Lone had also staked a claim.

“We are not inclined to interfere (with the decision of the Governor),” a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul had said earlier today.

Bhagat was a member of the dissolved Assembly in which he was representing the Ranbirsinghpura constituency.

Bhagat had also criticised the BJP leadership for withdrawing support to then chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, resulting in the fall of the PDP-BJP government.

The petition has embarrassed the BJP, which has supported the Governor’s decision. BJP’s state president Ravinder Raina has termed Bhagat’s petition “his individual decision”.

However, Bhagat’s expulsion by the state BJP chief Ravinder Raina has occurred in connection to an earlier complaint of “immorality” against him after his obscene pictures with a woman became viral on the social media earlier this year. Bhagat, stated that the pictures were morphed.

A disciplinary committee of BJP had earlier recommended his suspension for a period of three months.

While announcing Bhagat’s expulsion from the BJP, party’s chief spokesman Sunil Sethi said that taking note of the report of disciplinary committee of BJP on the issue of “indiscipline and immorality” of Bhagat, which was submitted to the party chief on July 19 and in view of his continued “Anti party and Anti Jammu activity,” state president Ravindra Raina expelled him from the party with immediate effect.

“He will cease to be a member of the Bhartiya Janata Party with immediate effect. Bhartiya Janata Party requests its cadre and public at large particularly of RS Pura constituency not to entertain him in reference to his former position of being associated with the party,” said Sethi.

The party had also earlier stated after his challenging the dissolution that he had ‘no right’ to do so.

Click to comment
To Top