Punjab BJP ex-minister expelled for supporting farmers' cause

Chandigarh, July 10 (IANS) The Punjab BJP unit on Saturday expelled its former minister Anil Joshi for anti-party assertions. For quite some time, he had been questioning the central government on its policies, particularly on three farm laws that farmers have been protesting and demanding to revoke them.The action against him came two days after he gave his reply to a show-cause notice.According to the notice, Joshi had been making statements against the BJP-led Central government and its leadership and policies.Joshi was expelled on the order of state unit President Ashwani Sharma.The former Amritsar (North) legislator, in a reply, said: "I neither spoke against the Centre's farm laws nor against central leadership."He, in fact, asked state party chief Sharma whether it was an indiscipline to talk about the farmers.
--IANS vg/pgh