Khanduri challenges BJP over his forced exit

Alleging that he was made a scapegoat and sacked in haste, Khanduri also expressed his anguish for not being invited to the BJP's three-day meeting in Shimla last week.

Khanduri's defiance comes amid a string of crisis in the BJP that has seen the sacking of former cabinet minister Jaswant Singh, a revolt in its Rajasthan unit and strong criticism of the party leadership by Rajya Sabha MP Arun Shourie.

According to BJP sources, the Uttarakhand leader said he could have explained at Shimla the reasons the party was routed in the April-May Lok Sabha election when the BJP lost all five seats.

BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad refused to comment on the letter, saying: "There is no need to comment on everything."

Khanduri, formerly from the Indian Army, was replaced by Ramesh Pokhriyal as chief minister.