by Pallavi Sareen
Jammu
Known for his maverick style of functioning, political and social activities of ex-forest minister and BJP MLA from Basholi are being closely monitored by Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), party insiders said.
The party is keenly watching every move that the ex-minister is making and reading every statement that he has been issuing in the context of demand for CBI probe in the Rasana case. Since the party believes that the cause which he has been espousing will eventually lead to consolidation of Hindu vote bank, they are neither opposing him nor questioning his activities.
Rasana witnessed the kidnapping, gang-rape and murder of a minor Bakerwal Muslim girl early this year. As the BJPDP government took a strong action against the gory crime, two ministers were asked to resign for their support to the pro-accused people. These included Lal Singh. It was one of the issues that led to the fall of the BJPDP government.
Though the party functionaries are not participating directly in his activities but they claim that they have asked their workers to participate in every political and social activity organised by Lal Singh, they said. They said that till the time, Lal Singh is not speaking against the party and carrying on with what he has been doing for the Rasana case, no action would be taken against him.
And on his part, Choudhary Lal Singh has not spoken a word in public against the party and instead, he welcomed MLA Nowshera Ravinder Raina, the day he reached Jammu after being appointed the president of the state unit of BJP. Lal Singh recently met BJP National President Amit Shah at the airport when he visited Jammu and Kashmir on June 23, for a two-day visit.
Singh preferred not meeting Shah in public. Even the BJP National President preferred not pressing Lal Singh to share the stage with him. Though the state BJP Leadership wanted him to share the stage with National President of BJP but he refused to share the stage.