Party did not ask me to campaign: Jaspal

Jails and rural housing minister Jaspal Singh on Tuesday reacted sharply to former minister and party campaign manager for Sabarmati Ashok Bhatt’s statement that he should have stayed and campaigned instead of embarking on a foreign trip if he had predicted the poll results.

Mr. Singh said Mr. Bhatt, who in his capacity as a campaign manager had given responsibility of 13 different blocks to minister of state for labour and employment Bhupendra Lakhawala, could have given him some concrete responsibility, if that was his intention.

Mr. Singh defended allegations regarding his foreign tour saying that it had been finalised by the chief minister prior to the election dates being announced. "If the party needed me for election work they could have asked me to curtail my visit," Mr. Singh said.

The jails minister further said that he does not need to advertise or give proof of his integrity towards the party, like Mr. Bhatt did. He also denied having made a direct reference to chief minister Keshubhai Patel while addressing the media on Monday.

Mr. Singh mentioned his right to express an opinion and that he had not made any accusations nor pointed fingers at any individual or their families. However, he reiterated the need for a leader with high integrity and total control over party members with the necessary experience.
Mr. Singh was reacting to statements made by former health and civil supplies minister and organiser of Sabarmati by-elections, Ashok Bhatt on Monday.

Mr. Bhatt had, in a joint statement said that if Mr. Singh was aware of the date of election results, he should have refrained from going on a foreign tour and taken leadership during the by-elections. "I had requested for the foreign tour well advance of the elections and it was approved by the chief minister." Mr. Singh claimed.

Mr. Singh rejected the defense that failure to communicate the good work of the state government to the people was the main reason for the defeat. He added that if the party could communicate to the people when in the Opposition and come to power, they can do even better when in power. Moreover, Mr. Singh also refused to apologise in case of any disciplinary action that might be taken against him.

Mr. Singh added that, the party was above an individual and, even if his position has to be sacrificed in the interest of the party, it has to be done. The jails minister reiterated the need for introspection into the recent election debacle of the BJP but refrained from giving out alternate names suggested for the leadership of the high command. "Alternative names are always present and there is no need to name anyone." he said.

Republished from The Asian Age