Kirti Azad says issue is graft being concealed, not Jaitley

Kirti Azad, the Lok Sabha member suspended by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), addressed journalists here, to explain his case.

He’d charged lack of action on allegedly serious irregularities in the affairs of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) at a time when Arun Jaitley, the present Union finance minister, was in charge of the body.

He said he rejected the argument that a Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe had found no financial irregularities and sought a comprehensive probe by central agencies. He wasn’t, he said, targeting Jaitley.

The Lok Sabha member from Darbhanga, Bihar, alleged the earlier Congress-led government did not take action because many of its nominees were senior names in the DDCA and were “party to wrongdoing and remiss in their duties”.

“Without due-diligence, crores of rupees were transferred in bank accounts having fake addresses. It was a monumental fraud, as the same people for the same work were paid again and again. I have evidence,” Azad said. “My fight is against corruption in sports bodies. It is not against Jaitley.”

Adding: “I fail to understand where I have targeted the finance minister. I have said nothing against the party. I have always been a loyal soldier. But, I will continue to fight against corruption. CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and (other) probe agencies...should carry out an extensive inquiry.”

He took the names of several companies which, he alleged, were involved in pocketing crores of rupees and were “linked” to DDCA officials. He said SFIO only looked into those papers given to them. He said he and others had written over 200 letters to Jaitley about all these when he headed the body but “nothing happened?”.

Azad also asked BJP spokespersons to refrain from using “loose words” about him. To reports that he was egged on by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, Azad said he spoke only after the Speaker asked him to. Such claims were a “bunch of lies”.

At a later press conference, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar refused to comment on the issue.