New Delhi: Cracking the whip, BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Sunday suspended a defiant Ram Jethmalani from the party with immediate effect for daring it to act against him on the CBI chief’s appointment issue, saying it was “gross indiscipline”.
A meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board has been convened on Monday to take a call on his expulsion, party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain told reporters here.
“Our party president Nitin Gadkari has taken cognizance of Ram Jethmalani’s statements and his challenge that no action can be taken against him and has suspended his membership of the party with immediate effect,” he said.
Jethmalani invited the BJP wrath after attacking the party for criticising the appointment of new CBI Director Ranjit Sinha.
The 89-year-old lawyer-turned-politician followed this up with remarks on Sunday in Mumbai that no action can be taken against him by the BJP, virtually challenging the authority of Gadkari and other top leaders.
Hussain said since the BJP Constitution gives the right to expel an MP or MLA only to the party’s Parliamentary Board- the highest decision making body of the organisation-Gadkari has convened its meeting on Monday afternoon to decide on Jethmalani’s expulsion from the party.
The decision was not unexpected and the party had indicated on Saturday that strong action against Jethmalani may be taken. Hussain said Jethmalani opposing the Swaraj-Jaitley letter to PM and his remarks on Sunday that no action can be taken against him has been viewed very seriously. (PTI)
