Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should resign for fair probe: Congress

NEW DELHI:The Congress on Tuesday stepped up its demand for the resignation of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, saying no fair probe into the allegations of financial irregularities in DDCA would be possible so long as Jaitley continues to be the minister.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi statement that Jaitley would come out "with flying colours" much like BJP veteran LK Advani had emerged unscathed from Hawala charges, Congress leaders led by Ghulam Nabi Azad challenged the finance minister "to quit and face the probe just like Advani had done".

Advani had resigned from Lok Sabha in the wake of Hawala case saying he won’t return to Parliament until his name was cleared. The Congress MPs also continued to raise the issue in both the Houses of Parliament.

Addressing a press conference along with his deputy Anand Sharma and AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewla, Azad said, "the established principle of probity in public life... warrant(s) that Arun Jaitley steps down as the Finance Minister to facilitate a fair and impartial probe in order to ascertain the facts". Azad also questioned Jaitley’s claim that Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had given him a clean chit on the cost incurred for building the Kotla stadium and demanded the government to make the said SFIO report public.

Anand Sharma said: "it’s worthwhile to note that certain agencies which are carrying out enquiries/probes into these allegations (on DDCA) are functioning under the Ministry which Arun Jaitley heads and there are genuine apprehensions that a fair and impartial investigation cannot be held till he occupies the high office of Finance Minister."

The Congress leaders further said, "it’s (a) known fact that Jaitley in the past been a crusader for accountability and has repeatedly invoked the dictum that "Ceasor’s wife must be above suspicion". The recent developments and revelations, therefore, make it imperative that he lives by the dictum."