A day after his suspension from the BJP, lawmaker Kirti Azad addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad
The Arun Jaitley vs Kirti Azad controversy snowballed today as four BJP elders - who pulled up the party leadership after the Bihar poll debacle - decided to meet Mr Azad and raise the issue in the party forum. Mr Azad has said he will call the Prime Minister's Office on Friday to seek an appointment with PM Narendra Modi, who he maintains, is his inspiration in his "battle against corruption".
Here are the latest developments:
BJP's veteran leaders LK Advani, Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha who met at the home of Murli Manohar Joshi, also decided to meet Mr Azad, sources said.
Playing down the meeting, Shanta Kumar later told reporters, "We keep meeting over tea, nothing specific was discussed."
Mr Azad, who was suspended from BJP after publicly targeting finance minister Arun Jaitley with allegations of corruption in the Delhi's cricket body DDCA that he once headed, had called for intervention from PM Modi or the BJP's margdarshak mandal, which includes Mr Advani and Mr Joshi.
In a blog, Mr Jaitley hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal -- whose Aam Aadmi Party has accused him of presiding over corruption at the Delhi cricket body -- and the Congress.
Alleging that political discourse was overcome by "vulgarity" and "lumpenisation", Mr Jaitley, in his blog, has invoked the tallest leader of the Congress, Jawaharlal Nehru. He also appeared to take a swipe at Mr Azad, who is the party's lawmaker from Bihar.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today took on PM Modi over the issue. "When Modi ji was campaigning, he said he would neither indulge in corruption nor let anyone do it... But today his own MP has pointed out at corruption, but Modiji is silent," he said.
The Prime Minister is currently on a visit to Russia. The margdarshak mandal, a group of five mentors, was set up last year by party chief Amit Shah in what was seen as a move to sideline the veterans, removing them from the all-powerful parliamentary board.
In its suspension notice yesterday, the BJP has accused Mr Azad of colluding with Opposition parties, including AAP and the Congress, to embarrass the party and its office bearers.
Mr Azad today said he will respond to the party's notice and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy is helping him frame the reply.
The executive committee of DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) said it will explore disciplinary measures for Mr Azad and Bishan Singh Bedi, who had supported him over his allegations. A meeting will be held on December 26 to take a decision on the issue.
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