BJP warns of legal action over Ananth Kumar-Radia allegations
December 24th, 2010 - 9:49 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday warned of legal action against the Congress for accusing party leader Ananth Kumar of helping corporate lobbyist Niira Radia fix business deals and threatened libel suit against TV channels that broadcast the allegations. “The party has advised Ananth Kumar to take action against the maker of allegations and those responsible for the broadcast of those allegations,” BJP leader Arun Jaitley told reporters here.
“Making a libellous statement or repeating it is equally libellous,” Jaitley, also a lawyer, said.
The organisation which made these allegations will also have to face legal action, he said.
The BJP’s tough talk came after the Congress demanded an explanation from the BJP over allegations that Ananth Kumar had helped corporate lobbyist Radia fix business deals.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi dared the BJP to sack Kumar. “Will the BJP sack Kumar from the post of party general secretary,” he asked.
Singhvi was reacting to remarks of Radia’s former business partner Rao Dheeraj Singh on a TV channel in which Singh has claimed that her business prospered under Kumar as union civil aviation minister. Singh has also alleged that Kumar passed sensitive cabinet documents to Radia for her clients when he was a minister in the NDA-led government.
Ananth Kumar was civil aviation minister during the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government in 1998-1999. In the second NDA government between 1999-2004, he was handling different portfolios like tourism and urban development.
- Ananth Kumar-Radia link charges are Congress conspiracy: Yeddyurappa - Dec 24, 2010
- BJP demands Congress apology for 'baseless' Radia links - Dec 26, 2010
- Congress demands Ananth Kumar's resignation over Raadia issue - Dec 24, 2010
- 'I never contacted Radia', says Gadkari - Dec 25, 2010
- Spectrum scam: BJP flays Congress bid to tar its leaders (Lead, changing dateline) - Dec 26, 2010
- Centre will inquire into allegation that Ananth Kumar leaked cabinet secrets: Narayanasamy - Dec 27, 2010
- Ananth Kumar's wife rubbishes charges on his Radia link - Dec 27, 2010
- Nira Radia: The lobbyist who flew too high - Dec 11, 2010
- Face JPC or quit, BJP tells prime minister (Lead) - Dec 22, 2010
- BJP charges against PM, Chidambaram politically motivated: Congress - Feb 03, 2012
- Elected BJP legislators to meet Thursday - Nov 24, 2010
- Pawar dismisses Radia claims, BJP wants issue probed (Lead) - Apr 14, 2011
- On Radia tapes, Advani hits out at PM (Second Lead) - Dec 14, 2010
- Advani's Jan Chetna yatra concludes Sunday at Ramlila Maidan - Nov 19, 2011
- After Chidambaram, opposition now guns for Krishna - Dec 09, 2011
Tags: allegations, alliance government, arun jaitley, bharatiya janata party, business deals, business partner, cabinet documents, civil aviation, corporate lobbyist, dec 24, dheeraj, general secretary, libel suit, national democratic alliance, nda government, party leader, tough talk, tourism and urban development, tv channel, tv channels