Yashwant Sinha demands Gadkari's immediate resignation

"Whether our party president is guilty or not is not the issue today. The issue is that all of us in public life should be beyond reproach...I call upon Shri Nitin Gadkari, with all the humility at my command, to immediately step down from the post of party president," he told PTI.

Interestingly, Sinha made the demand after being with Gadkari at a 90-minute meeting of the Parliamentary Party's Executive Committee at the residence of L K Advani in the morning.

The party reacted sharply disapproving his demand, saying it "does not deem it appropriate" and appealed to him to reconsider his stand. It said various party forums were available to him for discussing the issue.

Sinha's demand brings alive once again the campaign initiated by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani and his son Mahesh for the party chief's resignation in the wake of reports of alleged dubious financing of Purti Sugar and Power Group.

The campaign against Gadkari had appeared to take a backseat after the party backed him in the wake of a clean chit given by RSS ideologue and chartered accountant S Gurumurthy, who had gone into the balance sheet and accounts of the Purti group.

But its revival may have come at an inappropriate time when the party plans to corner the government on various issues, including alleged scams, in the winter session of Parliament beginning Thursday. (MORE)