Moral blame: First a shock, then New Delhi summons

If BJP endorses Devendra Fadnavis' decision, it will have to take the same stand in UP; meanwhile, Eknath Shinde seeks Cabinet berth for his son

- S BALAKRISHNAN , KALPESH MHAMUNKAR

A day after Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis announced his decision to step down, owning moral responsibility for the poor performance of his party in the Lok Sabha elections, Union home minister Amit Shah has summoned him to New Delhi. Fadnavis left for his home town Nagpur en route to the national capital on Thursday.

Fadnavis' announcement has shocked BJP cadres and they have urged him not to take any decision in haste. It appears that he made the announcement on moral grounds and did not consult the central leadership. The BJP's problem is that if it endorses Fadnavis' decision it will have to take the same stand if Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also puts in his papers, owning up responsibility for the pathetic performance of the party in his state.