With fresh roadblocks having appeared in his way of getting a second term, BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday was greeted with demands of resignation. Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani asked the party president to quit the post and not to seek a second term in office in the wake of allegations of corruption against him.’ It weakens the party position. In the coming elections we are fighting against corruption and we have to have a man of absolute impeccable integrity,’ said Jethmalani.
Though the veteran lawyer is not officially part of BJP, his close relationship with the Rashtriya Swamsewak Sangh (RSS) is well known. The Supreme court advocate has also been openly canvassing for the past few days to declare Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate of the party. Jethmalani is representing former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, a close aide of Modi, in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
While publicly the BJP is standing behind its party president, there are some whispers within the party, whether it is worth taking the risk of going to 2014 polls with a ‘tainted’ Nitin Gadkari at the helm.
‘The BJP party president has himself said allegations levelled against him are baseless, he has himself said that he is open to any investigations by any competent authority and the party endorses his view,’ said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, while defending the party president.
Though the veteran lawyer is not officially part of BJP, his close relationship with the Rashtriya Swamsewak Sangh (RSS) is well known. The Supreme court advocate has also been openly canvassing for the past few days to declare Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate of the party. Jethmalani is representing former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, a close aide of Modi, in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
While publicly the BJP is standing behind its party president, there are some whispers within the party, whether it is worth taking the risk of going to 2014 polls with a ‘tainted’ Nitin Gadkari at the helm.
‘The BJP party president has himself said allegations levelled against him are baseless, he has himself said that he is open to any investigations by any competent authority and the party endorses his view,’ said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, while defending the party president.