Three days after sparking outrage by nearly assaulting Madhya Pradesh's Bhind Collector Sanjeev Srivastava, BJP MLA Narendra Singh Kushwaha was summoned to Bhopal and sternly reprimanded by the party leadership.
On Friday, following a call from state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal, Mr Kushwaha appeared at the residence of organization general secretary Hitanand Sharma, where the incident was reviewed in the presence of state in-charge Dr Mahendra Singh.
Sources said the leadership took a "serious view" of the MLA's conduct.
He was warned in unambiguous terms that such behaviour was "against the party line" and would not be tolerated.
Despite the censure, Mr Kushwaha is said to be pressing ahead with his demand to remove the Collector, the top district official.
The controversy erupted on Wednesday when Mr Kushwaha stormed into the Collector's official bungalow with a group of farmers protesting fertilizer shortages.
When Collector Srivastava asked him to "stay within his limits" and refused to allow illegal sand mining in the district, tempers flared.
Witnesses say Mr Kushwaha abused the official, allegedly clenched his fist to strike the officer, and had to be restrained by the Collector's bodyguard.
His supporters staged a dharna outside the bungalow, erecting tents and chanting slogans such as "Bhind Collector is a thief."
The standoff was defused only after intervention from the Chief Minister's Office.
The Madhya Pradesh IAS Officers' Association condemned the incident as "humiliating and dangerous." The Association Chief Secretary Anurag Jain, and sought Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's intervention.
The MP Third Class Employees' Union also expressed solidarity, warning that public servants cannot work "under fear."
The state BJP has been grappling with unruly behaviour among its legislators and their relatives. Just last month, party chief Hemant Khandelwal summoned MLAs Golu Shukla and Pradeep Agarwal over allegations of hooliganism involving their sons. In another case, former MLA KP Tripathi was reprimanded after misbehaving with a woman police officer.
Friday's stern warning to Mr Kushwaha underlines the leadership's attempt to enforce discipline.
While Mr Kushwaha remains adamant about his demand to remove Collector Srivastava, the BJP organization has drawn a firm red line.
With the IAS association protesting, the incident has turned into both a political and administrative flashpoint, testing the party's ability to balance discipline within its ranks against pressure from its legislators.
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