AAP makes fresh allegations against Jaitley

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday attacked finance minister Arun Jaitley for the second consecutive day, calling him “master of half-truths and beautiful lies”. Countering Jaitley’s assertions in his blog, the party asked five counter questions to Jaitley while alleging that his term at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) comprised “undue financial benefits to friends and relatives”.

At its afternoon press conference, the AAP brought hockey into a ‘cricket scam’. “Isn’t it a conflict of interest when you pressured the ONGC to pay Rs 5 crore to Hockey India,” asked party spokesman Ashutosh. He also claimed, in response to Jaitley’s statement on his blog, that Jaitley’s argument about the cost escalation in Feroz Shah Kotla stadium from the budgeted Rs 24 crore to Rs 114 crore paid finally, did not address the fact that the public sector company EPIL was paid only Rs 57 crore while the rest was paid to private companies. “What is your relation with the nine companies which have the same address?” asked Ashutosh.

The BJP hit back by alleging that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had become a “champion of lies” from a self-appointed champion against corruption and was “abusing” everybody to save his “corrupt” colleagues. BJP media cell in-charge Shrikant Sharma dismissed as “false and foolish” five questions posed to Jaitley and accused AAP of using “diversionary tactic” to deflect attention from the corruption charges against Kejriwal’s principal secretary. “Jaitley has been in public life for longer than the age of Kejriwal and his integrity has never been in question. Kejriwal and his party have been levelling such false and foolish charges just to save a corrupt officer,” Sharma said, wondering why AAP was going to such lengths to save an officer. Kejriwal is “abusing” PM Modi, Jaitley and is attacking media, he said.