Former BJP chief Bangaru Laxman is dead

Former BJP president Bangaru Laxman died here Saturday after a prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 74.

Laxman breathed his last at a private hospital in Secunderabad. He is survived by a son and three daughters.

Laxman was union minister of state for railways from 1999 to 2000 and president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 2000-2001.

He quit as party chief when he was caught on camera while taking bribe in a sting operation by news website Tehelka in 2001.

A special CBI court April 27, 2012 sentenced Laxman to four years in prison. He was arrested and sent to jail. In October the same year, the Delhi High Court granted bail to Laxman on medical grounds. - IANS