Senior BJP leader Jayant Sinha on Wednesday said he was "surprised" to receive a show cause notice from the BJP on why he did not vote in the Lok Sabha polls and participate in any election campaigning.
In response to BJP's Jharkhand general secretary Aditya Sahu, Sinha said he voted through the postal ballot process as he was overseas due to "pressing personal commitments".
He clarified that not a single senior party official, MP or MLA from Jharkhand reached out to him after he announced his decision in March to not contest the Lok Sabha polls. Sinha is currently the BJP MP from Hazaribagh.
"If the party had wanted me to participate in any election activities, you could surely have contacted me. However, not a single senior party official or MP/MLA from Jharkhand reached out to me post my announcement on March 2. I was not invited for any party events, rallies, or organisational meetings," he wrote.
The BJP fielded Manish Jaiswal as its candidate for the Hazaribagh seat and Sinha said he had endorsed him from the day he was announced as a Lok Sabha nominee.
"The party announced Jaiswal ji as its candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. My endorsement was evident when I congratulated Jaiswal ji on March 8, an event that was well-documented on social media and demonstrated my unwavering support for the party's choice," Sinha said.
Sinha said he received a call from Jaiswal on April 29 and the latter had invited him to his nomination rally on May 1. He said he could not make it to Hazaribagh on May 1 due to "late notice".
Consequently, I travelled to Hazaribagh on May 2 and went directly to Jaiswal ji's residence to express my regards. He was not present, so I conveyed my message to his family. There was no further contact from Jaiswal ji. I left Hazaribagh on May 3 and returned to Delhi," he said.
"After informing the Speaker, I left India on May 10 to attend to some pressing personal commitments overseas. The party had not asked me to participate in any events, so I saw no reason to stay. Before leaving India, I sent my vote through the postal ballot process. Therefore, it is wrong for you to allege that I did not exercise my responsibility to vote," he said in a two-page letter to Sahu.
Sinha said he and Sahu could have spoken in-person or on the phone at any time to address any of the grievances raised by the latter.
"As the party official responsible for the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha elections, you could have reached me at any time. To send me a letter after the elections are over, is incomprehensible," he asserted.
Sinha said he decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections after consulting with BJP president JP Nadda so that he could focus on combating climate change in the country and across the world.
"Of course, I will continue to work with the party on economic and governance issues. As it is obvious from this tweet, I withdrew from the Lok Sabha elections on March 2. After consulting with Shri Nadda ji and getting his explicit approval, I made it clear publicly that I was not going to be involved in these elections," he said.
Sinha said thousands of people in Hazaribagh and BJP workers urged him to reconsider his decision, but said that his move was final.
"Despite my withdrawal, the reaction from thousands of Hazaribagh's constituents and party workers was profound, with many visiting me in Delhi, asking me not to withdraw and to continue my candidacy. This was a difficult period, filled with intense public emotion. However, I maintained political decorum and restraint," he said.
I am happy to support the party on economic and governance policies and have continued to do so. But I was very surprised to receive your letter and discover that you have released it to the media as well," he added.
The spat between Sahu and Sinha came days after the latter's son, Ashish Sinha, participated in an INDIA bloc rally in Hazaribagh amid speculation about his political move.
