BJP expels Ram Jethmalani for six years for anti-party statements

After initially suspending lawyer and MP Ram Jethmalani from the party for his strong statements against former party president Nitin Gadkari and the party’s stand on corruption, the veteran  lawyer has been expelled from the primary membership of BJP for a period of six years. The party took the extreme step against Jethmalani as he had made anti-party statements, reported CNN-IBN. 

Jethmalani, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, will now be an independent candidate in the Upper House of Parliament.

The senior lawyer, who is presently in the US, was unavailable for comment on the issue.

“The issue has been under discussion since 26 November. The reply had reached…and the parlimentary board decided it yesterday. The decision was unanimous,” spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Another spokesperson, Prakash Javadekar said that the party would not tolerate indiscipline and due to that the party had initially suspended Jethmalani and now expelled him for six years.

“This is the final decision,” he said.

The lawyer had been the lone voice of dissent against the party’s former chief Nitin Gadkari, whose resignation he had demanded following allegations of impropriety  against a conglomerate founded by Gadkari. He had subsequently been suspended from the party in November 2012.

However, on 8 May, Jethmalani gatecrashed into the Parliamentary board meeting of the BJP and accused it of being soft on the UPA government on the corruption issue.

Though Jethmalani was barred from attending the weekly Parliamentary Party meeting of the BJP, he stormed into the venue in Parliament House complex and accused the party of being “too mild”, sources said.

Suggesting that the Opposition’s attack needs to be sharpened, Jethmalani said BJP was not slamming the government as vociferously and strongly as it should have done on the issue of corruption.

Jethmalani also asked the party leadership as to why no action has been taken on removing him from the party though over three months have passed since he was served a notice. He said he should either be thrown out of the party or the notice be taken back. It seems the party decided to pick the former.