Azad Consults BJP's Golden Oldies, Rahul Stirs the Pot

NEW DELHI: The issue of suspension of BJP MP Kirti Azad, following his allegations of financial impropriety against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, flared up on Thursday with BJP veterans taking cognisance of it.

The Congress also waded into the controversy with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Amethi over the Jaitley-DDCA row, asking why the PM was silent about corruption.

Following Azad’s appeal that he was wrongly suspended and had even requested BJP’s Marg Darshank Mandal  to intervene, senior leaders like L K Advani, Shanta Kumar, Yashwant Sinha and M M Joshi met at the latter’s residence here to discuss the issue. Though the seniors did not react publicly, but the meeting indicated that they felt Azad issue should have been handled differently.

 A day after his suspension, Azad struck a defiant note as he said he would seek time from Modi to ask why he was suspended as he had raised an issue of corruption and had not indulged in any anti-party activity.  His suspension only appeared to emboldened him, as Azad said he would file a PIL in the court seeking a time-bound probe. “More fireworks and exposes may follow,” sources close to Azad said.

 “The BJP and RSS always speak about uprooting corruption. We also talk about walking the path of Mahatma Gandhi. I wish that Modiji intervenes in this issue, goes deeper into it, and then tells me about what I have done wrong as I need specific answers,” Azad said.

Veterans are likely to raise the issue within the “party fora.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy also agreed to help Azad in drafting a reply to the suspension notice. Sources said Swamy offered to resolve the issue “amicably” between Azad and Amit Shah-led party leadership. “Kirti issues are 1) is cricket affair within the purview of party discipline. 2) Due to SC case on the BCCI, is the party decision amenable in court,” Swamy tweeted.  

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