A Delhi court's decision to convict former BJP President, Mr Bangaru Laxman, has come as a setback for the principal Opposition party. Eyeing the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party was all set to launch a massive campaign against corruption by the UPA Government. The court will announce the quantum of sentence for Mr Laxman on Saturday.
Mr Laxman was caught on camera accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a fictitious arms dealer. The Congress has been using this episode to launch an attack on the BJP. Mr Laxman continues to be a special invitee to the National Executive of the BJP. His party, however, has distanced itself from the court order.
“The case is on Mr Laxman's personal conduct. He is facing the charges for the act he has done on his own. BJP had removed him from the post of President the moment it came to know about the issue. We did not take days to decide,” BJP spokesperson, Mr Shahnawaz Hussain, told a press conference.
The party's National Executive, which is meeting in Shimla in June, is likely to discuss the issue.