Thousands sign petition that Gadkari should not lead anti-corruption march

New Delhi: A 16-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making has called on the BJP to stop its party president Nitin Gadkari from leading an anti-corruption march in New Delhi. The march is scheduled for Tuesday, November 21, 2012. The funding behind Gadkari's business - the Purti Sugar and Power Group - is currently under investigation and while this continues, "he has no place leading an anti-corruption protest," over five thousand signatories of an Avaaz petition have said.

Emma Ruby-Sachs, campaign director at Avaaz said: "The BJP has hit an almost Himalayan height for its hypocrisy by not releasing this report and allowing its leader Nitin Gadkari to lead this march. Corruption has infected all sides in India's democracy and it urgently needs to be bleached out of the BJP."

The petitioners are concerned that Gadkari was swiftly declared "morally and legally clean" after an internal review done by auditor S Gurumurthy, whose affiliation with the BJP's ideological parent - the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) does not make him a neutral judge in this matter. There are reports of infighting that may have led to the exposure of this scandal, but it does nothing to decrease the urgency of this corruption investigation.

Thousands demand that the BJP bars Nitin Gadkari from leading an anti-corruption march in New Delhi.

The petitioners, mostly Indian citizens, have also called on the BJP to release a full report on the terms of reference of Gurumurthy's review and findings so that it can be independently assessed by the public and media.

The campaign, signed by over 5,500 Avaaz members can be seen here.

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