Thursday, May 23rd 08:25 PM IST
 

BJP president Nitin Gadkari should resign

Anant Rangaswami

Yes, it’s time for Gadkari to go. While one could argue, as I have done in the past, that, at the moment it is a case of only allegations and denials, the BJP has the opportunity to demonstrate that it is different from the Congress, that it is a party with a far greater sense of responsibility, by the act of Gadkari’s resignation. On the surface of it, it seems that there is no doubt of a closeness of relationship between IRB and Gadkari (indeed, he himself has admitted as much). The BJP could easily be tempted into taking the Congress line that nothing needs to be done unless Gadkari is found by a court to have committed a crime. The moment the BJP adopts this line, all the aggression they could muster against the Congress is weakened immediately.read less read more

Arun George

Nitin Gadkari may want the entire UPA government’s resignation but he doesn’t need to resign yet as the BJP president. Gadkari has just taken over as the president of the party for a second term and to resign now would be political hara-kiri. Currently resigning would be perceived as an admission of guilt, giving fodder for the Congress and Kejriwal his biggest political victim yet. The allegations against him still don’t indicate either criminality or corruption and until it does, he’s on safe ground. The BJP can continue to target Congress over corruption; they just need to turn a deaf ear when they face the same allegations.read less read more