Find it morally inappropriate to work under Gadkari: Jethmalani

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani has quit the national executive committee of the main opposition BJP, saying that he deemed it “morally and intellectually inappropriate” to serve in the committee as long as Nitin Gadkari continued to be the party President.

The letter that was addressed directly to Gadkari was only two lines long and read, “Dear Nitin-ji, I find it morally and intellectually inappropriate to remain a member of the BJP national executive committee till you are President of the BJP, and as such I tender my resignation from the same.”

This is the first direct fallout of the allegations of corruption that have been leveled against Gadkari. Up until now, the party had stood firmly behind the party president, saying that the fact that he had agreed to have a probe against him, was testimony of his innocence.

It couldn’t come at a worse time for the BJP president, who is facing flak for his comment on Swami Vivekananda and gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s IQ.

Jethmalani’s position echoes that of his father Ram, who publicly went on record as saying that Gadkari should resign and not seek a second term as party President.

“In the interest of the party, in his own interest, he should get out of the fray now and he must give the position to somebody who inspires greater confidence. He should not aspire for a second term,” he said.

“Obviously, there is suspicion about his integrity and in the interest of the party and his own interest he must get out of this position.

“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,” he told CNN-IBN when asked whether Gadkari should step down.

The allegations against Gadkari were first established by NDTV which reported that during Gadkari’s tenure as PWD Minister from 1995 to 1999, a company called Ideal Road Builders was awarded several contracts that saw its turnover rise from Rs 41 crore in 1996 to Rs 67 crore in 1999. It added that after Gadkari demitted office in 2001 and established his Purti group of companies, Ideal Road Builders picked up equity to the tune of about Rs 1.85 crore.

Later in an extensive report, the Times of India said that apart from Ideal Road Builders (IRB), a group of 16 companies had invested in the group most of which had directors who were associates of the BJP president or his family and were often headquartered in fictitious addresses.

Among the directors of the firms that invested in Purti group include Gadkari’s chauffeur, his accountant and two other employees in the group, one of whom is reportedly a friend of Gadkari’s son.