Published: Dec 17, 2015, 02:18 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 23, 2015, 12:50 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Delhi’s ruling AAP on Thursday again accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of indulging in corruption in Delhi’s cricket body and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack him. “A free and fair probe cannot be done as long as Jaitley remains in the post,” Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh told the media here. “So he should be removed.” Another AAP leader, cabinet minister Kapil Mishra, added: “Does Modiji have the courage to remove Arun Jaitley till he comes out clean? Can he do what Kejriwalji did to his tainted minister?” Arun Jaitley should handle cricket as ‘private duty,’ says Subramanian Swamy
The reference was to the public sacking by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of one of his ministers who he said had sought bribes. The AAP made a similar demand for Jaitley’s ouster at a press conference, saying widespread corruption took place when Jaitley headed the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for years. “Jaitley is involved in the corruption in DDCA,” AAP leader Kumar Vishwas told the media. Allegations of DDCA irregularities ‘vague and without basis,’ says Arun Jaitley
The AAP’s allegations — an elaboration of what it spoke about a day earlier — came two days after the CBI raided the office of the principal secretary to Kejriwal on charges of corruption. Kejriwal alleged that CBI officials had searched his room too and read the file related to the DDCA whose affairs he had ordered to be probed. The CBI has denied entering Kejriwal’s room. Raghav Chadha, an AAP spokesperson, said Jaitley had been running the DDCA like “an elite club”, appointing his favourites. The AAP leaders levelled a string of charges against Jaitley, who for years was the DDCA chairman. Among these, they said a budget of Rs.24 crore was approved to construct a cricket stadium but Rs.114 crore was spent.
