BJP suspends MLA over comments on Law Minister Meghwal

The BJP on Wednesday suspended MLA Kailash Meghwal from its primary membership after he levelled corruption allegations against Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The action followed a show cause notice to the Shahpura MLA, who is a former Speaker of the state assembly, from the party’s state unit president C P Joshi.

“The party president has suspended his primary membership and the matter has been referred to the (state-level) disciplinary committee for further action,” the panel’s chairperson Onkar Singh Lakhawat said.

The Meghwal versus Meghwal row erupted in the party as it geared up to take on the ruling Congress in Rajasthan in the assembly polls.

The MLA was served the notice on August 29, a day after he called the Union minister “corrupt number one”.

At a press conference Wednesday, he repeated the allegation while accusing the party of sidelining him, turning him into “a zero from a hero”.

He demanded again that Arjun Ram Meghwal should be removed from his cabinet post till “pending cases” against him in court are decided.

“I have written to the prime minister that till the cases pending in the court are not decided, he should be removed from the post of a minister. I hope that the prime minister will take the right decision,” Kailash Meghwal told reporters.

He claimed that a case registered by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau against Arjun Ram Meghwal is pending since 2014.

The MLA said he will also write to the Election Commission to cancel the minister’s membership of Parliament, claiming there is an “allegation” that Arjun Ram Meghwal submitted a “false affidavit” ahead of the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections. “Action should be taken on that also,” he said.

“This is not an election stunt,” he said. The MLA added that when Arjun Ram Meghwal became the law minister he found another reason to be alert as it was not right that a “corrupt person” occupies the post.

“So I started collecting material against him,” Kailash Meghwal said.

The MLA, who had apparently not been informed about his suspension till the time of his press conference, said he was being ignored in his party.

“I was once a hero in this party and today I am a zero from a hero. Did you see me anywhere in the four 'parivartan yatras'? The only reason for this is that Arjun Ram Meghwal is being given more encouragement and being brought forward as a Scheduled Caste leader in the BJP.” He said he regretted that people in his party were comparing Arjun Ram Meghwal with B R Ambedkar to “glorify” him.

“I will remain active in politics and will not leave it,” he said, when asked about being "sidelined" in the party.