By Archana Sharma

Jaipur, Jun 24 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan on Thursday issued a show cause notice to former minister Rohitashv Sharma, a senior leader from ex-CM Vasundhara Rajes camp, for accusing state BJP leaders of ‘working from their own offices and ‘not visiting the rural areas due to which the party suffered loss in the recent bypolls to three seats.

The development came just a day after Rajasthan BJP in-charge Arun Singh issued directions to the saffron party workers to refrain from speaking against the party's functioning.

Sharma had also said that the Rajasthan BJP, just like the Congress at the Centre, has failed to render its duties as opposition.

Acting on his comments, the BJP has asked Sharma to submit his reply within 15 days, failing which else disciplinary action will be taken against him.

The notice has been sent to Sharma on the basis of his statements made during a meeting of the Alwar North division.

"I am proud to say that late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has been my idol, Vasundhara Raje is my leader and the BJP is my mother. No one can separate a mother from his son. Those who issued the notice to me did not even have the courage to call and speak to me. I will go to Delhi and stage a hunger strike. I will fight my battle," Sharma said.

Meanwhile, BJP sources said that this is just the beginning, and disciplinary action will be taken against more leaders if they continue to comment on the functioning of the party.

Rajasthan BJP has been witnessing a factional feud ever since Satish Poonia, an RSS man, was appointed as the state unit chief. Since then, Raje has been maintaining a distance with the party leaders and the functioning of the BJP in Rajasthan.

Her loyalists had recently said that "Raje is BJP and BJP is Raje in Rajasthan", triggering a massive furour.

Following the remark by Raje loyalists, Poonia and the leader of opposition in Rajasthan Assembly, Gulabchand Kataria, had said that no leader is bigger than the party.

Thereafter, Arun Singh visited Jaipur and issued strict directions to the party workers to refrain from making any comment that might harm the party.

The feud in the saffron party comes close on the heels of the state Congress witnessing a major crisis due to the frictions between two camps, one led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, and the other by former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot.