Aam Aadmi Party anger flows to Jaitley’s residence

Demanding Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s resignation over the DDCA row, hundreds of AAP workers led by several party MLAs on Wednesday protested near his residence prompting police to resort to use of water cannons and minor lathicharge. The party will hold similar protests in all district headquarters across the country on December 26, senior party leader Sanjay Singh said. The protesters, who gathered near the Race Course Metro Station, were stopped by a heavy security contingent when they marched towards Jaitley’s residence at Tughlaq Road here and were taken to Parliament Street Police Station after detention. 

“We are here to ask Arun Jaitley to kindly step down as he is in-charge of departments which would have those documents that could prove his guilt or innocence. So as a good citizen and a senior lawyer of Supreme Court, he is duty-bound to follow the footsteps of (LK) Advani,” AAP MLA Somnath Bharti told reporters. Advani had resigned from Lok Sabha in 1996 after allegations were levelled against him in the hawala case. The case, however, later collapsed due to lack of evidence. Other MLAs who were part of the demonstration include Alka Lamba, Vijender Garg, and AAP’s youth wing leader Ankush Narang. 

Meanwhile, continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said had he been in his place, he would have sacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley immediately. “If I were in place of Shri Narendra Modi ji, I would have immediately sacked Jaitley ji,” Kejriwal tweeted, mounting a fresh offensive over the alleged irregularities in Delhi and District Cricket Association. The Delhi Chief Minister also said the sports bodies should be free from politicians and be handled by professionals.  “There should be no politician in any sports body. Let sports be handled by professionals,” Kejriwal tweeted. 

Gill drags Jaitley in HI affairs 

To make things worse for Jaitley, banned Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president KPS Gill has dragged the Union Finance Minister into the affairs of Hockey India, urging the Delhi government to probe into the BJP stalwart’s “conflict of interest” in the national hockey body. Former top cop, Gill has written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that Jaitley had appointed his daughter Sonali as the counsel for Hockey India when he was a member of the advisory board of Hockey India League. Hockey India President Narinder Batra strongly refuted the allegations, saying Gill’s charges were “baseless.”