Mizoram BJP chief gets a breather

AIZAWL, March 13: With dissensions surfacing within the BJP's pradesh committee in Mizoram, a meeting of the party's full extended committee on March 12, threw its support behind its president Ramtiama, reports PTI. The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Ramtiama, dismissed the allegations levelled against the party president as 'baseless". A party press release issued here said that donations collected for Gujarat earthquake relief fund was Rs 14,610 only, and not Rs 1.2 lakh as alleged by the president's detractors. "The donations already collected would be submitted to the party's New Delhi office immediately while the collection would continue," the press release said. Earlier, four top BJP unit leaders, including one vice-president and two general secretaries, sent a letter to BJP national president Bangaru Laxman alleging that the party unit chief misused the Gujarat quake relief fund and attempted to intimidate Francis Lawmkima, vice-president of the unit and former minister. They sought Laxman's intervention in the matter and change in the unit leadership.