Delhi Cricket Board Gave Fake Contracts: Kirti Azad
BJP MP, Kirti Azad screened a WikiLeaks video to expose DDCA corruption at press conference.
Former cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi who accompanied Kirti Azad to the press conference, screened a video credited to WikiLeaks for India and Hindi newspaper Sun Star.
The 28 minute long video presentation showed the investigation of the several companies that have contracts with the DDCA.
Former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad, also a BJP MP, has hit out at corruption within the Delhi cricket board (DDCA). At a press conference he addressed on Sunday, despite a strict injunction from the party not to do so, Azad claimed that officials within the DDCA made money by cooking up bills.
Azad has had a feud with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and many experts believe that his allegations are designed to target the minister. For his part, Azad said that he had no personal enmity. He said, “ let me start out by saying that I’m a big fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his campaign against corruption. I just want to expose corruption. This is not personal. It is against corruption.”
Sehwag and Gambhir Back Jaitley
Meanwhile, Arun Jaitley, who is a former Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President, got the backing of the two Indian cricketers-Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
Both cricketers came out strongly in support of Arun Jaitley in their tweets. Sehwag, lauded Jaitley for being there for players. The swashbuckling batsman, who switched loyalties to Haryana from Delhi and retired from international cricket earlier this year, steered clear of making any political claim but lauded Jaitley’s role in helping players.
Amit Shah’s Intervention
Azad has had a history of attacking Jaitley over issues corruption during his tenure as the DDCA chief. Azad has, however, stuck to his decision of holding a press conference on the issue on Sunday.
Though there was no official comment on what transpired in the meeting, party sources said Shah advised Azad to exercise restraint. He also apparently said that opposition parties have used these charges to attack the BJP. After meeting Shah, Kirti Azad, said
BJP vs. BJP
Other than AAP and Kejriwal supporters, former cricketers also joined the anti-Jaitley chorus.
Former cricketer and current BJP MP, Kirti Azad also joined into the tune of unmasking corruption in the DDCA. Azad who is an MP from Bihar, took a dig at the Finance Minister for referring to him as a “trojan horse”.
Kirti vowed to expose the corruption within the capital’s cricket association in his tweets. He said that he not against his party or the PM, but at a press conference that will be held on December 20, at 4 p.m., he will “unmask the imposter”.
On Friday, former cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi also came out in support of Kejriwal’s demand for a probe into the affairs of DDCA.
Allegations
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) was headed by senior BJP leader and current Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley for 14 years. At certain ocassions in the past, concerns were voiced regarding financial irregularities in the DDCA.
Two days after CBI raids, Kejriwal referring to the financial irregularities in DDCA, said that the allegations against Arun Jaitley were very serious. He insisted that Jaitley be sacked or resign unless he allows a clean probe.
Arun Jaitley, in his turn denied Kejriwal’s allegations, saying that Kejriwal only believed only in “untruth and defamation, delivered in a language that borders on hysteria.”
Clearing all allegations on a Facebook post, Jaitley said:
What Started the Fire?
The CBI raided, CM Arvind Kejriwal’s principal secretary, Rajendra Kumar’s office on December 15. The raids were based on a complaint filed by former Delhi Dialogue Commission member, Ashish Joshi.
According to the CBI, Rajendra Kumar allegedly abused his official position in the last few years by favouring a particular firm in getting tenders from delhi government departments.
Upset with the raids, Arvind Kejriwal accused the Centre for misusing their powers and alleged that the CBI raid was conducted to cover up Jaitley’s involvement in DDCA scams.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)