AAP to expose DDCA ‘graft’ today

Though the Prime Minister showed impeccable courtesy by offering a glass of water to AAP member Bhagwant Mann, who was protesting in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday against the CBI raids on the Delhi government, the former seemingly failed to douse the flames of enormous unrest and tension that has resulted from Tuesday’s incident between the Centre and the AAP government.  

Launching a scathing attack on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said the CBI “raid on the Chief Minister’s Office” (CMO) was an attempt to divert attention from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) “graft” issue. “We will come out with details concerning the DDCA before the press on Thursday.”

Promising to come out with this exposé, when asked whether the Delhi government would constitute a committee to look into the DDCA issue, Vishwas said it would become clear tomorrow (Thursday).

Stepping up attack on Jaitley, the AAP on Wednesday demanded his immediate resignation to ensure a free and fair probe into allegations of corruption in DDCA.

Kejriwal alleged that there has been corruption in DDCA under Jaitley’s 13 year-long tenure as its president. “A fair investigation is not possible into DDCA’s irregularities until Jaitley remains Finance Minister. So he should immediately tender resignation,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh tweeted.

Jaitley, who had earlier termed the allegations as rubbish, said he could not reply to such vague allegations and suggested that AAP was trying to deflect the issue of alleged corruption by a senior Delhi bureaucrat.

AAP leader Ashutosh claimed that BJP MP Kirti Azad had levelled charges of corruption against Jaitley as DDCA chief.

The Delhi government had last month ordered a probe into DDCA’s functioning after a group of veteran cricketers including Bishen Singh Bedi had met Kejriwal apprising him of alleged scam in DDCA. The probe committee had submitted a damning report against the cricket body mentioning about financial bunglings.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Wednesday demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe and said the Finance Minister should not continue as minister till the probe was completed.

There were “gross financial irregularities” in the DDCA which had been headed by Jaitley, Congress senior spokesperson Ajay Maken said.

Hours after Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar was quizzed by CBI in a case of alleged corruption, he met Kejriwal at his residence in North Delhi’s Civil Line area on Tuesday night.

Sources said that Kumar, along with senior lawyer H S Phoolka, who is associated with the AAP, reached the Chief Minister’s house situated on Flagstaff Road and apprised him about CBI’s action.