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Union Health and Family Welfare Minister C P Thakur, who resigned on Sunday evening following persistent reports that he could be removed from the Vajpayee Cabinet in Monday's reshuffle, said the Guthka lobby could be trying to topple him.
Thakur has launched a campaign against Guthka manufacturers seeking a complete ban on guthka.
Asked whether the Bhumihar community, to which he belongs, could move away from the Bharatiya Janata Party in case he was dropped from the Cabinet, Thakur said: "That depends on sentiment. Even if it is to happen, I cannot say anything about it. Everything is not in my hands. It is in the hands of the public."
Earlier, in a statement Thakur condemned the violent incidents in the Bihar state BJP office in Patna following reports of his being dropped from the Cabinet.
"I have heard on TV channels about hooliganism in the BJP office in Patna. Such incidents are highly condemnable," he said.
About 100 alleged supporters of the minister ransacked the state BJP office in Patna irked by reports that Thakur could be dropped from the Cabinet in Monday's reshuffle.
PTI
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