Will BJP Remove Finance Minister Arun Jaitley?
Corruption allegations are piling up against India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, as he is alleged to be involved in a huge scam that took place when he was heading the Delhi and District Cricket Administration (DDCA).
Jaitley’s own party member Kirti Azad, who was suspended by BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) when he raised the issue of DDCA corruption, claims that he has produced evidence of financial impropriety in DDCA during Jaitley’s tenure.
According to opposition party Congress, when Jaitley was in charge there were major irregularities during reconstruction of the Firozshah Kotla cricket stadium.
Laptops and printers were taken on rent for Rs. 16,000 and Rs. 3,000 per day. DDCA made payments to fake companies, Congress reveals.
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“The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) also found that DDCA had not made the mandatory disclosure of its accounts. Even DDCA’s own internal enquiry found evidence of ‘huge financial irregularity’,” Congress alleges.
“There is a cloud of suspicion on the Finance Minister. As an important member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet, he is in a position of power to influence any investigation led by the Enforcement Directorate or the Company Law Board. There is a clear conflict of interest here,” according to Congress.
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“Jaitley should step down as Finance Minister. Only then can there be a free and fair investigation. What happened in DDCA from 1999-2013 should be investigated by a Joint Parliamentary Committee,” Congress has demanded.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Modi ran an election campaign full of slogans targeting corruption and promoting transparency and good governance. “Modi said ‘Na Khaoonga, Na Khane Doonga,’ and when his own party member (Kirti Azad) brought a scam to his notice, he was suspended by BJP,” Rahul Gandhi said.
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From Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh (MP) and rice-fodder scam in Chhattisgarh, to Lalit Modi scandal involving Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Prime Minister’s conspiratorial silence has raised several pertinent questions, Congress says.
Further, Congress demands that Modi must back his words with action and ensure that those who are tainted find no place in his Cabinet.
Photo courtesy: Congress
