[Mumbai] Bangaru Laxman, president of India’s
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, resigned on Tuesday evening following the release of videotape released by Indian internet portal http://www.tehelka.com.
The video showed Laxman accepting bribe money from Tehelka.com journalists posing as representatives from a fictitious English arms manufacturer.
Laxman has called the release of the tapes politically motivated.
The tapes also show various high ranking Indian officials in the country’s defense industry accepting money from the fictitious arms company representatives to promote certain weapons systems within the industry.
Excerpts from the videotapes were broadcast over various Indian television networks as well.
