AMRITSAR, Sept 15 — The BJP today expelled Mr Subash Sharma, Mayor of the local municipal corporation from primary membership of the party after he failed to submit his resignation.

In a communication addressed to the Mayor, Mr Brij Lal Rinwa, state BJP chief said that in view of the report submitted by the fact-finding committee team of the party against Mr Subash Sharma regarding alleged moral turpitude, he was told to step down from the post of Mayor. Since he had failed to comply with the orders in a stipulated time, he was expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years.

The Mayor was a frequent visitor to Hotel Suncity Towers, according to the hotel record. It was alleged that a DSP raided the hotel on August 13 in plain clothes and caught the Mayor with a girl.

However, the matter was allegedly hushed up at the behest of the superiors of the DSP who was waiting on the hotel premises for orders. Sources pointed out that a senior police officer had instructed the DSP not to proceed further as the person involved in this case was a VIP, who incidentally belongs to the ruling party.

Though the hotel management had stated that the Mayor used to visit the hotel as an “honourable” guest, the fact-finding committee of the BJP concluded that he had gone there for a “wrongful purpose”.

However, Mr Subash Sharma has been denying that he was caught with a girl from the hotel on August 13. On the other hand, Mr Parampal Singh Sidhu claimed that during the raid, Mr Subash Sharma was seen taking food with his wife and a woman guest. The hotel staff also confirmed that the Mayor visited the hotel with a girl.

On the basis of fact-finding committee report, the BJP high command had directed Mr Sharma to resign immediately, which he defied. Instead, he started the “permutation and combination” campaign for sticking to the post of Mayor. He reportedly held meetings with municipal councillors of even opposition parties. The sources said the Congress councillors refused to give support to Mr Sharma as it was the Congress party which had threatened to go to the street if Mr Sharma did not resign.

Mr Sharma had convened a press conference in the morning. But he cancelled it after learning that the party had expelled him from primary membership for six years.