Unease in the BJP is growing over allegations of wrongdoing by a company run by its President Nitin Gadkari with two senior leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Vinay Katiyar having a meeting here to discuss the issue.
Mr Naqvi and Mr Katiyar, both leaders from Uttar Pradesh, met for about an hour and are understood to have shared the view that the party’s image was suffering and something needs to be done, sources said.
Although not categorically seeking Mr. Gadkari’s exit, the two leaders are believed to have felt that BJP’s image was being adversely affected at a time when it is engaged in a campaign against Congress and government over corruption issue, the sources said.
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They were believed to be of the view that some action needed to be taken by the party.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of BJP MP Ram Jethmalani’s public demand that Mr Gadkari should quit in the wake of allegations that his company Purti was involved in financial wrongdoing and fudging of facts.
Mr. Jethmalani claimed at a press conference that three senior BJP leaders -- Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Singh -- were with him on the issue.
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Mr Naqvi and Mr Katiyar held the meeting while Mr Gadkari was meeting senior leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj at their residences separately.