NEW DELHI, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Pramod Mahajan, General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was in critical condition after his brother shot him Saturday morning and the reason for the shooting remained unclear.

    Pramod Mahajan, 56, was in stable but critical conditions after undergoing a life-saving operation at hospital in Mumbai. A team of doctors removed two bullets from his body, according to Indo-Asian News Service.

    The bullets pierced his intestine and pancreas, the hospital source said. Pravin Mahajan, the youngest of three brothers, went to Pramod Mahajan's residence in Mumbai at 7: 30 am Saturday and shot him with a revolver from close range after a heated argument, seriously wounding the veteran politician, said Arup Patnik, joint commissioner of Mumbai Police.

    Pramod Mahajan received two bullet injuries and the other shot misfired, Patnik said.

    Soon after the firing, Pravin walked out of his brother's residence and surrendered himself to the nearest police station. He was taken into custody and a case of attempt to murder was filed against him.

    The weapon used in the crime was seized, the police source said.

    As BJP leaders from around the country rushed to Mumbai, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a letter to Mahajan's wife that he was shocked over the "unfortunate incident."

    Earlier reports had attributed the shooting to a property dispute. But another Mahajan brother Prakash denied this and the police agreed with him.

    "We have no property, so where is the question of dispute? Whatever people are saying is completely wrong. If there was some dispute, I would have known it," Prakash Mahajan told TV channels over telephone from his residence in Aurangabad, a city in Maharashtra near Mumbai.

    According to family members, the Mahajan brothers enjoyed a good relationship.

    "He (Pravin) has been suffering from mental disorder for the last few months. The police are recording his statement," Pravin's lawyer Nandkumar Rajurkar said.

    "The real motive of the crime will be known once the interrogation is complete," Patnaik said.

    Pramod Mahajan, one of BJP's front ranking leaders, was the political advisor to in Vajpayee's government in 1998 before becoming parliamentary affairs minister. Enditem