BJP veterans chide party leadership

Two days after the BJP suffered a shocking defeat in Bihar, the veterans in the party have hit out at the leadership.

A joint statement by LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha has sought a thorough review of the BJP's defeat in Bihar assembly elections, stating that the party failed to learn lessons from the fiasco in Delhi assembly elections.

"No lesson has been learnt from the fiasco in Delhi. To say that everyone is responsible for the defeat  is to ensure that no one is held responsible. The principal reason for the latest defeat is the way the Party has been emasculated in the last year," it said.

The statement also said that "the consensual character of the party has been destroyed because the party is being kow tow to a few".

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had, after a meeting of its parliamentary board said that the party took collective responsibility for the loss. Jaitley had also ruled out the resignation of party chief Amit Shah after the loss.

The statement by party elders however is clearly targeted at those running the affairs of the BJP especially Shah and his rather abrupt style of leadership.

The statement is likely to shake things up in the party, as organisational polls are underway.

Analysts said the failure will embolden the opposition and increase concern among some in Narendra Modi's own party over his once-charmed ability to deliver at the ballot box.

The defeat is also a setback to his plans to push major economic reforms through the national parliament where his BJP lacks a majority.