New Delhi: Bishan Singh Bedi, former India captain, on Sunday said that Chief Minister Arwind Kejriwal was well within his rights to investigate corruption in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), adding that his concern for corruption in Delhi cricket is very legitimate.
“There cannot be any fire without smoke. If Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is concerned about corruption in Delhi cricket, then his concern is very legitimate. He is trying to create awareness in the cricket loving public. He is well within his rights to investigate,” Bedi told ANI.
He asserted that it is in the domain of Arwind Kejriwal as the corruption is taking place in Delhi only.
“He has always been fighting against corruption. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting against corruption. We all say that we should fight corruption but when the opportunity comes to raise our voice, we back down,” he added.
“The first thing is to raise the voice and then take a step forward. That’s what we are doing. We are not targeting any individual. Whatever happened in the DDCA under the tenure of Arun Jaitley we are taking only and a lot has happened which is not right,” he further said.
The Delhi Government has decided to constitute a commission of enquiry to probe the alleged corruption in the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA).
Kejriwal has written a letter to senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam to head the commission.
Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirti Azad alleged that lots of companies were given crores of rupees by the DDCA and contracts were given out to fraud companies without any verification.
“Lots of companies were given crores of rupees by the DDCA and their nature of work was never told. Contracts were given out to fraud companies, payments were made, without any verification,” Azad told the press conference here at the press club to expose corruption in Delhi cricket body.
The DDCA came under scrutiny after Azad had raised the issue of financial irregularities within the association.
On a complaint filed by Bedi and other cricketers, the Delhi Government had ordered a probe into the issue.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had earlier hit out hard at Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over alleged corruption during his tenure as DDCA President.
Addressing the media, AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh collectively stated, “The main objective of CBI raid at Delhi Secretariat and taking control of ACB was to prevent alleged graft in DDCA during Arun Jaitley’s tenure coming to light.”
They added that the scam included siphoning off money by creating fake companies between 1999 and 2013. (ANI)