The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party were engaged in yet another political bout on Tuesday with the former describing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s efforts to probe corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) as an exercise in “cheap publicity and propaganda”.
Gopal Subramanium, the former Solicitor General who has been appointed Chairman of the Commission of Enquiry to probe the DDCA scandal by Kejriwal, wrote to the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to make available five officers from IB, CBI and Delhi police to assist him in the investigations. Subramanium also wrote to Kejriwal similarly demanding five “outstanding” officers to assist him.
The top lawyer told Kejriwal that since it was the Central Government which initially asked the Delhi Government for such a probe, it was “obvious” that they would render all possible assistance in the investigations.
“I don’t want in hindsight to feel that he (NSA Ajit Doval) was not sufficiently briefed as he is a person who understands the ramifications correctly and that is why I wrote to him. I cannot judge by my personal imagination who can be a competent person to investigate,” Subramanium told Kejriwal in a letter.
The BJP alleged this communication shows that Subramanium is acting “at the behest” of the AAP Government which is using the probe to target Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
“It is not within the legal purview of the Delhi government to probe the Delhi cricket board (DDCA) which is registered as a society under the Company Act. Subramanium is doing such drama at the behest of Kejriwal who is used to taking unconstitutional decisions,” said BJP Secretary Shrikant Sharma.
“It is nothing but part of its propaganda. Kejriwal should read the Constitution so that he can focus on what his government should be doing, like sanitation and preventing dengue from recurring, and not what it should not be doing,” Sharma added.
Accusing Kejriwal of raking up the DDCA issue to deflect attention from the CBI probe against his Principal Secretary, he said the Chief Minister has a “history” of working to save the guilty and cited the example of the cases of two former Law Ministers, both arrested on criminal charges and now out on bail.
“AAP is in fact ‘ Pakhandi ’ Aam Aadmi Party (PAAP),” he said. “The more muck Kejriwal will throw at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the more he will sink into it.”
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has already questioned the legality of appointment of the inquiry panel set up by the Delhi Government. Striking a defiant note, Kejriwal said the Commission of Enquiry will probe alleged irregularities in DDCA even if it is struck down by the Centre.
Kejriwal said the file pertaining to setting up of the commission has been forwarded to the PMO by the Home Ministry even as head of the probe panel Gopal Subramanium has written to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, seeking a list of five officers each from IB, CBI and Delhi Police to assist him in the inquiry.
“Is it true that the MHA has sent DDCA file to Prime Minister to decide whether to declare Enquiry Commission illegal? What will PM do — declare it illegal or allow enquiry? Though it will have no impact on ongoing enquiry commission,” Kejriwal tweeted.