Days after meeting Shah, Delhi BJP leaders meet Dharmendra Pradhan

A group of Delhi BJP leaders, including the party's city unit president Adesh Gupta, met Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday, days after meeting Amit Shah, party insiders said.

The meetings assume significance because of the Jahangirpuri violence, the bypoll to the Rajendra Nagar Assembly seat, expected by August, and the civic body elections, and hints at an increased involvement of the top BJP leadership in the political matters of the city.

BJP MPs and MLA were among the nine leaders who met Pradhan. Some of the Delhi BJP leaders, who met Pradhan, said it was an ''introductory'' interaction.

However, sources said the discussion during the meeting revolved around the future challenges faced by the BJP in Delhi.

''The top leadership has started to closely watch the developments have been instructing the city leaders accordingly.

''The city BJP leaders have been asked to sustain the current momentum and corner the AAP by exposing its failures, both political and that of its government in Delhi,'' said a leader.

The Delhi BJP leaders had earlier met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 20, the day the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation MCD launched a demolition drive in the Jahangirpuri area before it was halted by a Supreme Court order.

Sources said further meetings between Delhi BJP leaders and the party's central leadership were likely in the coming days.

Stone-pelting, firing and arson was witnessed in Jahangirpuri where two groups clashed during a Hanuman Jayanti procession last Saturday.

The Delhi BJP chief's direction to mayors of the party-ruled civic bodies to use bulldozers for demolishing encroachments by ''Rohingyas and Bangladeshis living illegally'' have led to a political slugfest.

Both BJP and AAP leaders have been accusing each other of helping the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis to live in Delhi.