Gadkari can continue if inquiry relieves him: Jethmalani

New Delhi, Nov 8: BJP Rajya Sabha MP

, who has been demanding

resignation as party president over allegations of dubious funds by his company Purti Sugar and Power, on Thursday said, "He can continue if the inquiry relieves him". He said he will be happy if he emerges clean in the probe carried out against him, but felt that it will be very bad for the party in case he does not.

"Let him continue, if the inquiry relieves him. It's all right. Then he'll have justified his continuance in office. But if he's not, it will become very bad for the whole party," he told reporters when asked about Gadkari. Jethmalani said he was yet to receive papers pertaining to Gadkari's companies as promised by S Gurumurthy, who had met him on behalf of the BJP chief.

"I can't tell you. Gurumurthy promised to bring the documents, nobody has seen me. I have not been able to make up my mind on facts at all," he said. Jethmalani, who has launched a scathing attack against the BJP chief seeking his immediate resignation, refused to dwell into another controversy on whether party leader LK Advani can still be considered as its prime ministerial candidate.

When asked about what his next step in the wake of his statement that he would carry on with the tirade against corruption, he quipped, "The (next) step is the major practitioners of corruption who are in the ruling party and about whom the press refuses to speak."

Jethmalani also took a jibe at the leaders sitting in the BJP's Core Committee meeting which supported Gadkari's continuation as party president, saying "what prominent leaders" were sitting there. A defiant Jethmalani had disapproved the BJP's core group backing Gadkari, saying the party is losing moral ground in the fight against corruption.

PTI