The tussle between Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP opened a fresh chapter on Sunday when reports revealed that the name of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was nowhere to be found in the report of the probe conducted by the Delhi government into alleged irregularities in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA).
The report had been the bone of contention since a team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had raided the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in Delhi. Since then, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been claiming that the BJP-led NDA government had engineered the raid to get to this report because it contained damning evidence against Jaitley — of irregularities in the DDCA during his tenure.
"Jaitley was the DDCA president for many years and I had set up a committee to probe all the corruption that has taken place during his tenure. The committee has submitted its report and a commission of inquiry was to be set up over it, and a file pertaining to it was in my office," Kejriwal had said.
However, the Times of India said Jaitley's name does not appear even once in the report by the three member committee — after suspended BJP leader Kirti Azad and former Indian captain Bishan Singh Bedi approached the Delhi government alleging massive overspending in the renovation of the Ferozeshah Kotla.
The BJP latched on to the opportunity to hit out at Kejriwal, who is also the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with some within the saffron party even calling for a public apology from the Delhi chief minister.
Kejriwal is already in legal trouble, with Jaitley having filed a defamation suit against him and five other AAP leaders, seeking damages to the tune of Rs 10 crore.
He has had a tumultuous relationship with the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, thanks in no little measure to the regular differences of opinion with Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung.
