Defiant Raje chairs BJP MLAs' meeting

Raje, who has been asked by the BJP high command to step down as the leader of the opposition in the wake of the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections, returned here yesterday after a meeting with the party top brass in Delhi.

The BJP MLAs today decided that they will hold a 'dharna' on the stairs of the assembly when the session resumes tomorrow after a month-long recess to protest the suspension of their three colleagues-- Gyandeo Ahuja, Bhawani Singh Rajawat and Hemsingh Bhadana.

They were suspended for a year from the Rajasthan Assembly on July 28 by the speaker for unruly behaviour and raising anti-government slogans while demanding assent to a bill providing quota to Gujjars and OBCs.

Deputy leader of BJP Ghanshyam Tiwari told reporters that the meeting, however, did not take up any matter related to the resignation of Raje. "The issue of Raje's resignation did not crop up during the meeting," he said, adding 71 of the 78 BJP MLAs were present.
The BJP legislators boycotted a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) today to decide the agenda for the session, he said.