New Delhi:
The tiff between NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra and senior BJP leaders is getting murkier. Party leader Arun Jaitley has now sent a defamation notice to Mr Mishra for making "baseless allegations."
Mr Mishra was initially supported by a section of the BJP as an independent nominee for Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. But he had to withdraw at the last moment following a directive from the BJP central leadership to its MLAs not to vote for him.
Right after Mr Mishra's nomination for a seat in the Rajya Sabha, top leaders had revolted and blocked Mr Mishra's chances. From LK Advani to Sushma Swaraj, they all agreed that the entrepreneur's background and his status as an "outsider" in Jharkhand make him an unsuitable candidate.
However, after he dropped out of the race, the 37-year-old fired salvo at BJP leaders including Murli Manohar Joshi. He claimed that he had funded the senior politician's poll campaigns in 2004 and 2009 and that he facilitated a meeting between Mr Joshi and corporate leaders being probed in the 2G scam. Mr Mishra also said that he has been the BJP's fund-raiser for over a decade.
Yesterday, BJP President Nitin Gadkari hit out at the NRI business and termed his allegations "baseless." "Anshuman Mishra's motivated and selective tirade against some of the top BJP leaders is nothing but an expression of frustration over his failure to make it to the Raja Sabha with the support of BJP MLAs from Jharkhand," he said. He is believed to have initially backed Mr Mishra's nomination. (With Inputs from PTI)