It was the surprise birthday gift for Sanjay Joshi. The clean chit given by Madhya Pradesh police on Thursday to the former Bharatiya Janata Party functionary in the CD scandal probably could not have come at a better time.

As the news broke out, senior BJP leaders, including state unit chief Nitin Gadkari, legislator Devendra Fadnavis and city unit chief Girish Vyas, made a beeline for Joshi's Indraprastha Nagar residence later in the evening.

However, Joshi was reluctant to be in the media glare in his moment of glory. When newsmen reached his residence, they were literally shooed away by the family members, saying that Sanjay Joshi did not live there. It was only when the senior BJP leaders arrived to greet Joshi that the family let the media in. Even then, it took some coaxing from the reporters before Joshi obliged with a short statement.

"I knew that I was innocent, and so I resigned from my post (of BJP general secretary) immediately after the controversial CD surfaced," Joshi, who went virtually into exile since the scandal broke out, said.

The fact that the CD surfaced on the eve of the BJP's silver jubilee celebrations was an indication that it was an attempt to put the party and the RSS to disrepute, he added.

Refusing to name those behind the controversy, Joshi said, "I will reveal the names at an appropriate time."

Asked if he would accept any post in the RSS or the BJP again, Joshi said he was ready to accept any responsibility in the past, and will be so in the future as well.

Meanwhile, Gadkari has demanded a probe into the conspiracy to malign Joshi. Asserting that Joshi lived a simple life dedicated to the RSS, Gadkari 'advised' the media 'not to believe in CD's of this kind.'

Central India News Service