DDCA row: PM gives Arun Jaitley strong support

Advani parallel: Opposition asks FM to quit

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed Union finance minister Arun Jaitley and drew a parallel with BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, saying he too will come thro-ugh “with flying colours” like the party veteran did in the hawala case, the Opposition claimed that Mr Modi has signalled Mr Jaitley to resign. The BJP, however, rejected the Opp-osition suggestion outright. Mr Jaitley is facing an Opposition onslaught over alleged financial irregularities in the Delhi District Cricket Associ-ation during his tenure. The Congress, meanwhile, continued to demand Mr Jaitley’s resignation in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Mr Advani resigned as an MP in 1996 over allegations of involvement in the Jain hawala scam and was re-elected later in 1998 after his name was cleared.

At the BJP parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, Mr Modi also attacked the Congress for levelling allegations against BJP leaders and described as “historical blunders” the allegations against Mr Advani (in the hawala case) and Mr Jaitley. Mr Modi also said the entire nation had stood by Mr Advani then, and in a single voice had condemned the Congress’ attitude. Mr Modi also said the Congress was deliberately targeting BJP leaders and “shamelessly” disturbing Parliament as it was not able to digest its Lok Sabha defeat last year.

BJP MP Kirti Azad, who had been raising the issue of alleged irregularities in the Delhi cricket body for long and had targeted Mr Jaitley, was not present during the parliamentary party meeting. Speculation is rife that the BJP leadership could take action against Mr Azad soon after the Winter Session ends on Wednesday.

After the meeting, parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu quoted Mr Modi as having said that BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje had similarly faced such “wrong” charges from the Congress earlier.

“The Prime Minister gave the example of L.K. Advani. The government at that time tried to implicate him in the hawala case. Advani came through with flying colours and the strategy of the Congress boomeranged. The same thing is going to happen on allegations against Jaitley... The Congress is inventing issues to defame the government,” Mr Naidu said, quoting the Prime Minister. Mr Advani was on the dais when Mr Modi gave his example in Mr Jaitley’s support.

However, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the PM seems to have suggested to Mr Jaitley that he should not continue as finance minister till his name is cleared.

“Today I heard the Prime Minister saying that Jaitley will come out of this like L.K. Advani in the Jain hawala case. I will remind Jaitley that Advani had then resigned and had not come back till he got a clean chit from the Supreme Court”, Mr Azad said. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha also suggested that Mr Jaitley’s opposition to the earlier UPA government’s plans to bring sports bodies under the RTI appeared to be linked to DDCA affairs. Mr Azad also noted no NDA minister or BJP MP had countered Mr Kirti Azad’s assertions in the Lok Sabha on Monday, which means they were agreeing to what he had said.

Even CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said by drawing a parallel with Mr Advani, the PM had given a hint to Mr Jaitley that “he should resign, get himself cleared and come back”.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh also tweeted: “Modi: ‘I am sure Arun Jaitley would come out clean as Advaniji did in hawala case’. But would Jaitley resign as Advaniji did No question!”

Dismissing the Opposition’s suggestions, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said: “There is no parallel between the charges against Advani and Jaitley. The CBI had registered a case, launched a criminal investigation and Advani quit as an MP on moral grounds. There is no criminal probe against Jaitley. These are allegations levelled by the Opposition, which are unsupported by evidence.” He added that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) probe into DDCA was carried out into the allegations when the Congress was in power, and had stated there was “no fraud or cheating”. Mr Sharma said: “Due to political rivalry, the Congress is ignoring its own government’s inquiry. It has no moral right to level such a charge.”

However, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala dismissed the claim on the SFIO absolving Mr Jaitley in the DDCA row, saying the SFIO does not investigate individuals but only corporate bodies.