Jaitley files defamation suit against Anshuman Mishra

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley has filed a defamation suit against NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra for alleging that Jaitley had sought favours from him.

The NRI, who attacked senior BJP leaders after party lawmakers in Jharkhand refused to back him for a Rajya Sabha seat, has been sent a legal notice by Jaitley, party sources said Monday.

Mishra had alleged that party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who heads the PAC looking into the 2G scam, and a "female friend" of his had asked him to arrange meetings with companies that allegedly benefited from the 2G scam.

Mishra was to fight as an independent candidate from Jharkhand for the Rajya Sabha. However, the central leadership directed party MLAs not to vote for him. Dissent grew in the party as senior party leader S.S. Ahluwalia, the party's Rajya Sabha member from Jharkhand, was dropped to accommodate Mishra.

Party president Nitin Gadkari, who reportedly initially backed Mishra for the Rajya Sabha seat, in a statement issued by the party office here, dismissed "as baseless and misleading all the allegations levelled by NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra against senior BJP leaders".

"Anshuman Mishra's motivated and selective tirade against some of the top BJP leaders is nothing but an expression of frustration over his failure to make it to the Rajya Sabha with the support of BJP MLAs from Jharkhand," Gadkari said Sunday.