Even as the Congress on Monday reiterated its demand for the resignation of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) scam, BJP president Amit Shah came to his party colleague’s support.
The Congress said that the silence of senior BJP ministers Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj on the allegations raised by BJP MP Kirti Azad proves that they disapprove of the explanations given by the Finance Minister.
The issue disrupted the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Congress members trooped to the well of the House, demanding Jaitley’s resignation. Congress leaders indicated that the party has decided to take up the issue forcefully in the coming days.
Party president Sonia Gandhi rubbished the allegation by Jaitley that she is responsible for the charges against him. “Is Sonia Gandhi responsible for everything?” she asked.
The party said Jaitley was unable to answer the 51 questions raised by Azad.
“If Azad’s charges are false, why didn’t Jaitley file a defamation case against him?” asked Congress spokesperson PL Punia. “How can he continue as the Finance Minister of this country? He should immediately resign,” he told reporters on Monday.
He added that a Joint Parliamentary Committee and a Special Investigation Team of the CBI, monitored by a sitting high court/Supreme Court judge, should simultaneously probe the DDCA scam.
The Congress spokesperson also demanded that if Jaitley does not step down, the Prime Minister should sack him. “We should not forget that it’s not the Congress or anybody else who are making these charges but a senior MP of the BJP itself — the said MP time and again praises the Prime Minister and reiterates his faith in the PM’s leadership,” he added.
The Left parties also said that Jaitley should resign. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said if the BJP follows the yardstick it has set for others, Jaitley should resign and face the probe. “The charges levelled against him are serious and needs a thorough investigation,” Yechury added.
PTI reports: However, the BJP today came out in strong support of Jaitley, with party president Amit Shah terming all the allegations levelled by the AAP against the Finance Minister as “baseless and far from truth” and asserting that the party stood with him and will not allow any “conspiracy” to defame him to succeed.
Rallying behind Jaitley, Shah also raised questions over the legality of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kejriwal government to probe alleged irregularities in the DDCA during his tenure.
Hitting out at the AAP, the BJP president said if it thinks that it can damage Jaitley’s image through its “malicious attempts”, then it is “day-dreaming”. Such efforts would prove to be counter-productive as they will damage only the AAP, he said.