DDCA row: Subramanian Swamy raises questions over Kirti Azad’s suspension from BJP

“It’s BJP’s loss, not mine…” On Wednesday, within hours of the end of Parliament’s winter session, BJP chief Amit Shah suspended Azad from the party, the timing meant to deny the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party an opportunity to raise the issue in the House.

The BJP on Wednesday suspended Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad from the party for alleging large-scale corruption in Delhi and District Cricket Association when it was headed by present Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The action of the BJP Parliamentary Board to suspend Azad from the party’s primary membership came after his press conference attacking Jaitley and subsequent acts of defiance both inside and outside Parliament. Party sources said further action will depend on his response to the notice.

The BJP’s action against Mr Azad saw rival political parties hit out at the BJP and the Modi government. Despite denials by the CBI that it never searched Kejriwal’s office and it was after his principal secretary Rajendra Kumar for corruption, the AAP leader has said that CBI officials did enter his room in search of a file on the DDCA and Jaitley. I would want Modi ji to look into this and tell me what my fault is, I want specific answers. “I don’t think party should lose such a honest person like him”, swamy told ANI. At one stage, Congress president Sonia Gandhi was seen waving to Azad in the Parliament, when the allegations were being debated. Is this going to be the fate of all those in the BJP who raise issue of corruption?

“I have been telling the party about this for the last 9 years. They are a new party”.

“I will assist Azad in drafting a reply to the BJP notice. I did not take anyone’s name”.

The minister has sued Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for suggesting that he was corrupt.

The parliamentarian also said that if speaking the truth was a crime, he would continue to do so again and again and appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the whole matter.

Modi, addressing BJP MPs, urged them to fan out to their constituencies after the winter session to “expose” the Congress – which was “disrupting” Parliament and blocking business – before the people.

Situation turned bitter after Azad went ahead with a press conference dragging Jaitley into the alleged DDCA scam and also making a small speech about the same in the Lok Sabha soon after the Finance Minister rubbished the accusations against him.