Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists staging a protest demanding resignation of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in Kolkata on Saturday. (PTI file)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today organised nationwide protest against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over his alleged involvement in financial irregularities in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
The AAP claimed that in the protest organised in more than 275 districts and 17 state capitals, its volunteers from across the country set up stalls to rent out their laptops, printers and pooja thalis to DDCA.
They also took out protest march saying they also call Mr Arun Jaitley corrupt and dared him to file defamation cases against them.
Mr Jaitley has slapped a libel suit against AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders.
The party said it will organise a protest at Jantar Mantar on January 10.
"Investigations into the DDCA scam have revealed loot of public money under Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his team. It has been found that crores of rupees were paid to shell companies floated using fake addresses and fake identities. This money was round-tripped to the DDCA officials under Arun Jaitley.
"The investigations have also revealed that companies and vendors were paid Rs 16,900 rupees per day for taking laptops on rent. Rs 3,000 was paid as daily rent for printers and pooja thalis were taken on rent for up to Rs 5,000 per day," AAP leader Ashutosh said.
Addressing a press conference, AAP's Delhi unit convener Dilip Pandey said the DDCA scam has exposed BJP's top leader's involvement in corruption.
"It's a glaring example of how BJP leader Arun Jaitley misused his position to facilitate a scam. It's shocking that a person who presided over systematic loot of public money at the cost of game of cricket for more than a decade, is country's Finance Minister today," Mr Pandey said.
Mr Ashutosh also hit back at Union Minister Venkiah Naidu for his comments that AAP's allegation will boomerang and said the party and its leaders are of a different mettle.
He said the BJP has given a new definition to probity in public life. He also sided with suspended BJP lawmaker Kirti Azad, who had come out openly against Mr Jaitley, that he was ignored, then humiliated and finally suspended from the party.