Sanjay Joshi's posters resurface in Delhi

Posters in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bete noire and former party general secretary Sanjay Joshi resurfaced in parts of Delhi on Wednesday, seeking more “internal democracy” in the BJP.

Surfacing of similar posters to greet Joshi on his birthday on April 6 had led to sacking of Union Minister Shripad Naik’s private secretary Nitin Sardare. Sadare was among a number of party colleagues who had wished ousted Joshi on his birthday.

This time, the posters chided the PM, saying that “Samwad Sampark Abhiyan, Pehle Ho Apne Ghar Se Shuruwat, Phir Jao Janta Ke Paas. Karte Ho BJP mein Loktantra Ki Baat, To Phir Sanjay Joshi Zindabaad.” (You go out and talk of dialogue and outreach and internal democracy in BJP. But, you must first address such issues at home...)

Earlier this month, pro-Joshi posters were put up in Kanpur, Lucknow, and Ghaziabad and presence of some BJP workers at functions attended by Joshi was not taken kindly by the party leaders close to Modi. The posters had made fun of the Modi government’s slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”, asking why Joshi was not being taken along.

Joshi fell out with Modi in the 1990s during the dissidence activity against then Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel. Modi was asked by the BJP and RSS to stay out of Gujarat until he was made CM in 2002.

Joshi was sacked from the BJP in 2005 after a CD that showed him having sex surfaced at the party’s national executive meet in Mumbai. Later, a Madhya Pradesh police probe cleared Joshi in connection with the CD.

In 2012, Nitin Gadkari as BJP chief assigned poll work for Joshi in UP, which angered Modi. Modi, who was Gujarat’s chief minister at the time, refused to participate in any BJP conclave unless Joshi was kept away.

After the Lok Sabha polls last year, Joshi sought his rehabilitation but was met with cold response from the BJP establishment.