Sunday, January 4, 2009

Missing Money: BJP Treasurer Resigns


The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday asked its national treasurer Ramdas Agarwal to tender his resignation to party president Rajnath Singh. Caught in an ongoing feud between party stalwarts, Agarwal was asked to quit after Rupees 2.6 crores went missing from the party’s national coffers.

Media reports say the action was taken at the insistence of NDA prime ministerial hopeful LK Advani, who is pushing for the ouster of party president Rajnath Singh by proving him incapable of managing party affairs.

Since the amount was discovered to b missing Advani has been pressing for the resignations of Ramdas Agarwal and Nalin Tandon.

Advani is of the view that the list of party candidates for the Lok Sabha polls should be declared by January end. Rajnath however feels that task is nearly impossible to perform. The contention has soured the ‘working relationship between the two leadrs, forcing the party to reschedule its national executive from January 23 in Nagpur to February 6.

“The national executive has been shifted because of the Republic Day,” says Rajnath Singh.

The party had earlier found funds amounting to the tume of Rupees 2.6 crores missng fro its national headquarters.

The BJP however is yet to file a police complaint into the matter, giving rivals, Congress an opportunity to lampoon the saffron outfit.

“This may be the cash for some future sting operation like the cash for vote conspiracy,” commented Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi.

Reacting to Singhvi’s comment BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said those dwelling in lass houses should refrain from casting stones.

With the Lok Sabha elections looming large, the Sangh is expected to initiate fire fighting measures over the next few days, failing which the BJP may suffer bigger losses in the months to come.

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