Now Khurana raises banner of revolt

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), still reeling from the rebellion in Uttar Pradesh, is facing trouble closer to home - its Delhi unit president Madan Lal Khurana has let the party know he intends to retire from electoral politics unless the government grants Delhi statehood as promised.

Khurana, a former Delhi chief minister and an incumbent member of Parliament from Delhi Sadar constituency, has asked the party to start looking for a suitable candidate who can be projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate during the 2003 Delhi assembly polls.

He has also said that they should count for a candidate who can contest the Delhi Sadar seat in his place during the 2004 general elections.

Khurana who heads the party's state unit is reportedly peeved with the party's central leadership for not strengthening his hands in the run up to Delhi polls which are less than a year away.

The five -year term of the Congress party government is scheduled to end in October end next year, although there are indications that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit wants to go for an early poll in order to catch an unprepared BJP on the wrong foot.

It is understood that Khurana had agreed to take over the reins of the party's Delhi unit five months back only after he was promised that the conditions put forth will be accepted.

He was considered as the party's best bet to guide the BJP to victory over the Congress party after the party was routed in the February civic polls in the capital.

It was believed that he alone could lead the party to victory and it was generally accepted that in such an eventuality he will take over as the state chief minister.

Delhi voters have of late shown extreme change in moods. While the Congress party romped home with a two-thirds majority in 1998 Delhi state assembly polls, the BJP staged a remarkable comeback by winning all the Lok Sabha seats from the city a year later.

The Congress party however swept back to power in the Delhi Municipal Corporation in February this year winning more than two-third seats, forcing the BJP to bring its best bet - Khurana - to shape the party's fortunes in the national capital.

According to sources close to Khurana, among the conditions he had put forth while agreeing to step down as a national vice president of the party and taking charge of the state unit was grant of full statehood to Delhi.

The Delhi state government currently has no jurisdiction over law and order and land, since the Delhi Police and the Delhi Development Authority are under the federal government's control.

In fact, Khurana was with Dikshit when the federal Home Ministry recently tried to curtail some of the powers of the Delhi chief minister forcing the centre to retract.

Among the other demands of Khurana - regularisation of illegal and unauthorised colonies and allowing non-polluting small-scale industries to function form residential areas, since a blanket ban may have alienated the party's voters, resulting in its February debacle.

It is understood that Khurana's threat to retire from electoral politics has had its impact with Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani inviting him for talks recently.

Moreover, it is believed that the party chief M. Venkaiah Naidu will focus on affairs in the Delhi unit once he is free from Uttar Pradesh with threats of rebels toppling the alliance government in the state still looming large.

Sources say that since Khurana has not made a public announcement so far, it can be seen as his willingness to change his mind provided his demands are met.