Provide Indiscipline Details, Want To Clear Name: Kirti Azad To Amit Shah

New Delhi: Kirti Azad, suspended by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his attack on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, has written a letter to his party president Amit Shah asking on what grounds the party has acted against him.

The letter, sent two days after the BJP lawmaker's suspension, holds a mild challenge. Mr Azad points out that the party has not mentioned the charges that he has indirectly levelled at Mr Jaitley over alleged corruption in Delhi's cricket body, the DDCA.

"As you have not mentioned DDCA corruption, I believe that the party has nothing to do with this matter and is purely out of its purview...," Mr Azad writes, refuting the BJP's allegation of "indiscipline" and bringing the party "disrepute," and asking for "an opportunity to clear his name on serious charges of anti-party activity."

"I have been a loyal soldier of the BJP since 1993 when I was elected as MLA from West Delhi. There has not been single instance or blemish and the party which gave me every opportunity to work. I have no intention of embarrassment or indulge in anti party activities(sic)," Mr Azad has told the party chief.

The letter reveals a change in the strategy of Mr Azad, who had after his suspension threatened to "reveal more." He had also sought the intervention of the party's Margdarshak Mandal or panel of mentors.

Two members of the panel, LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, along with two other veterans Shanta Kumar and Yashwant Sinha, met yesterday and then decided to meet Mr Azad. Kirti Azad however did not meet them as planned on Thursday.

He has now signalled with his letter that he remains a loyal party soldier who has taken his complaint to the party's top leaders, instead of going to the four veterans, who had challenged the leadership over the BJP's poor performance in the Bihar election.

"The senior leaders have decided to intervene in the interest of the party. I also want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and I shall be writing to him soon," Mr Azad said in his letter.

The ruling BJP's move to suspend its lawmaker Kirti Azad for targeting Arun Jaitley over allegations of corruption in Delhi's cricket body DDCA has created yet another power tussle in the party.