Suspended BJP MP Ram Jethmalani took the party by surprise on Tuesday when he walked into its Parliamentary Party meeting and attacked the leadership for being soft on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on the corruption issue.
Mr. Jethmalani asked the party leadership why no action was taken to remove him from the party over three months after he was served a notice. All BJP MPs, including Parliamentary Party leader L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley, heard him in silence as he spoke for 10 minutes before walking out in a huff.
Several party MPs later spoke against Mr. Jethmalani’s behaviour and said this should not be tolerated. BJP top brass, however, is of the opinion that expelling him would increase his “damage potential and nuisance value” as he would then be free to speak his mind in the Rajya Sabha.
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As a suspended member, Mr. Jethmalani is bound by the BJP whip and can speak or cast his vote in the House only in accordance with the directions of the party. He was suspended in November last year on disciplinary grounds.