BJP amends constitution to make Nitin Gadkari party chief for second term

Haryana: The decks have been cleared for Nitin Gadkari to continue as the National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party has passed a resolution enabling a provision for a second term for one person.

Former party Presidents Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu proposed and seconded another term for Gadkari. The BJP's national council met to amend the party's constitution on Friday, which till now did not permit a second consecutive term for a sitting President in the party. Gadkari became BJP's youngest ever national President in 2009.

The BJP's three-day conclave in Surajkund, Haryana, will end on Friday. On Thursday, the BJP defended its stand on the ruling United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) reforms push, saying it was not anti-reforms but was opposed to foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and fuel price hikes as they were anti-people.

Former party Presidents Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu proposed and seconded another term for Nitin Gadkari as BJP President.

Releasing a 2002 letter by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he had opposed FDI in retail, the BJP pointed out that there were several hurdles in the implementation of the UPA's decision on FDI in multi-brand retail, as India was a signatory to bilateral agreements with 82 countries where it could not stop foreign multinationals from entering certain states if it allowed domestic companies to set up shop.

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