New Delhi: Suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad today rejected suggestions that he raised the DDCA issue in the Lok Sabha on the “instructions” of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and said he had only supported his party in its fight against corruption.
“Accusing me of speaking on Cong-Pres (Congress President's) instructions is undermining the role of the Chair i.e Speaker. The Chair decides who will speak,” Azad said in a tweet.
He also said he had supported the government's stand in Parliament. “I supported d (the) Govt. stand in Parliament & wish to inform my party BJP spokespersons that no one can speak w/o (without) Speaker's permission,” he said in another tweet.
The former India cricketer and Darbhanga MP's response came days after BJP suspended him for “anti-party” activities within and outside Parliament, “lowering the prestige” of the party and its office-bearers.
“You have colluded with opposition parties, including Congress and AAP, and embarrassed the party and its office bearers. You have both inside and outside Parliament conducted yourself in a manner which clearly amounts to indiscipline and anti-party activities...,” a BJP Parliamentary Board notice to Azad read.
While maintaining that BJP was against corruption and it had not shied away from a probe, he had said in Lok Sabha that instead of disrupting the House, Congress should seek a time-bound SIT probe into DDCA affairs.
Azad, who spoke after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley even when many BJP leaders were seen asking him to sit down, said if everything was all right about DDCA's functioning, the CBI would not have given a notice to it on October 23.
The BJP member noted that the Modi government was fighting against corruption but at the same time, said, “They (Congress) should demand a time-bound probe, CBI, SIT probe.” Jaitley has rejected allegations of wrongdoing against him by Congress members who were seeking his resignation.
