The moment Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issued their one-line statement suspending Kirti Azad, their member of parliament (MP) from Darbhanga in Bihar, the opposition suddenly found their poster boy to rally behind.
Aam Aadmi Party took it a step forward, their social media cell started retweeting Azad and pro-Azad tweets was trending soon enough on the micro-blogging hemisphere.
The BJP’s own ‘margdarshak mandal’ saw a ray of hope for their revival and came out of their coma to support Azad. But then who takes those who I call the “retired neta (Politician) mandal” seriously anymore. Neither will I budge from this belief by wasting copious words on them.
And since everyone was on the Azad bogey, I used the same micro-blogging site Twitter to put my two-bits into the raging controversy.
जा पंछी तू “आजाद” है अपने कर्त्तव्य को पूर्ण कर अपनी “कीर्ति” को बुलंदियों पर पंहुचा घरवाले तेरी राह देख रहे है ……जल्दी लौटना
— #GauravPradhan (@DrGPradhan) December 24, 2015
Even before his Lahore masterstroke, back home, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP saw this as a Golden opportunity to balance power game within party and government.
PM Modi displayed his political brilliance and fired his masterstroke. They suspended Kirti but made him ‘Azad’(free) by not expelling him from the party. He is neither bounded by party constitution nor fear of exposing a colleague.
Azad’s suspension letter didn’t quote DDCA as a reason for his suspension. Clearly, the doors are open for him to come back, once the former national cricketer takes his fight against corruption to its logical conclusion.
Though Jaitley never won any election in his life except DUSU election for the post of president way back in his college days, his backroom political skills are something that BJP has benefitted from time and again.
I analyzed the whole situation professionally without any bias to a person or party or even media. I also did some basic investigation within business, financial and political circles.
My Investigation
Through my highly trusted sources, I received following information on DDCA:
1. Registrar of Companies, which falls under the purview of Ministry of Corporate Affairs(MCA), served notice to DDCA under section 206(5) of the Company Act on 04.04.2015
2. The Registrar appointed 3 Assistant RoC namely Aayma Shah, Arvind Kumar Bunkar and Dr Afsar Ali to conduct probe.
3. RoC made it clear to DDCA that if they fail to produce relevant documents, they are liable for punishment but DDCA took it lightly because they know Arun Jaitley heads MCA and his influence can be used.
4. When RoC approached Government for approval to investigate DDCA, the approval was given without any delay and the go ahead was given.
5. Assistant Director MCA Anshu Tandon instructed Regional Director North (MCA) to conduct probe against DDCA.
6. In a letter from MCA, it is said that RoC may be directed to examine payment of Rs 5Cr made to Kaushik Buildcast & Others.
7. The order further allowed RoC to conduct investigation of three companies related to series of payment made by DDCA related to construction and other works to Vidhan Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Maple Infra Reality Pvt Ltd and Ram Tradecom Pvt Ltd
8. The MCA directed RoC to complete probe & submit report within three months
Kirti Azad’s Charges
There are five specific allegations that Azad made which got the BJP Leadership worried.
1. Even a top position has executive powers. – referring to Jaitley overlooking corruption under his nose when he was DDCA president prior to 2013
2. DDCA is like a legal institute of corruption – those seeking PhD in it can go there. – referring to Jaitley (who is a former lawyer) legitimizing corruption in DDCA and turning a blind eye towards it.
3. Is it true that your daughter and son-in-law are active members in Hockey India? How much money has been paid to them over the last five years for retainership in Hockey India, for consultancy and for being several committees of Hockey India?”- referring to allegations on Jaitley harbouring conflict of interest.
PM Modi displayed his political brilliance and fired his masterstroke. They suspended Kirti but made him ‘Azad’(free) by not expelling him from the party. He is neither bounded by party constitution nor fear of exposing a colleague.
4. Arun Jaitley conveniently avoided answering more than 200 letters and 500 messages about wrongdoing and swindling of DDCA money through his 14 years as president in DDCA but what has not come out from investigations is shocking.” – alleging Jaitley’s hand in trying to hush up investigations.
5. Several inquiries by ROC, SFIO, internal auditors, executive committee members, election commission appointed by sessions court and now a three-member committee of Delhi government etc have confirmed massive defalcations and round tripping of money and mismanagement.” – confirming that corruption happened within the DDCA which Jaitley did not take any action against.
When Azad made these allegations, he backed it up with a statement after his suspension: “There has not been a single instance of blemish in my association with BJP which has given me every opportunity to work within the party constitution. I reiterate that I remain a loyal BJP worker and have no intention of causing embarrassment to my party or to indulge in anti-party activities as my 23 years of unblemished record in the party will testify.”
A statement reminiscent of what Uma Bharti said after her public spat with Jaitley in 2004. The RSS stood solidly behind Bharti and the real ‘margdarshak’ of BJP’s existence is solidly behind Azad too.
On the other hand, in a close-door meeting Modi quoted LK Advani’s resignation, which was a clear message to Jaitley to ‘please resign, fight your case, win it and come back.’ Since DDCA will lead to BCCI and IPL, this case will only extend for a very long time.
Sherlock’s Pound Of Flesh
It is a known fact that DDCA is a den of corruption and Delhi government raised this issue to divert attention from Rajendra Kumar and various sting which are not in CBI custody and in due course will link Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia directly. The case of DDCA is already under investigation by competent authority.
Once the DDCA is investigated many names directly and indirectly will surface including Rajiv Shukla & Jaitley.
Jaitley was Chairman and he was not responsible for day to day activities of DDCA but he headed DDCA for 13 long years which no media talks about. I can understand why media wants to establish the fact that he is not responsible for any corruption but with same logic how come Ramalingam Raju, chairman of Satyam Computer was responsible for day to day scam within Satyam? Is law different for Jaitley and Raju?
The involvement of Jaitley’s daughter in Hockey India raises some valid questions.
On the Hockey India website, Sonali Jaitley is listed member under sexual harassment panel and not legal panel. Sonali is a corporate lawyer not an expert on sexual harassment. Some people have opined that since she knows legal procedure and is a woman, she is a perfect fit in the sexual harassment panel. Well, by that logic Shah Rukh Khan of Chak de India fame, who was a brilliant motivator on the silver screen, should head the panel of coaches in all sports in India!
All these nepotistic alliances – from DDCA to Hockey India – is harming the image of the Narendra Modi government. That cannot be allowed.
But I am also a fan of Arun Jaitley. Because Jaitley is not just a very smart politician, my personal admiration of him stems from the fact that he is a master politician who can turn every threat into an opportunity. He operates with covert precision.
Though Jaitley never won any election in his life except DUSU election for the post of president way back in his college days, his backroom political skills are something that BJP has benefitted from time and again. For Jaitley the lawyer, his biggest client in early days was IPR & Corporate Cases. But for Jaitley the master of maneuvers, his shooting star was his friendship with a rising power broker of the 1990s called Amar Singh.
The duo moved smoothly between political circles and corporate spectrums – navigating the Madhav Rao Scindias to Shobhana Bhartias with consummate ease. Jaitly and Amar Singh were a silent but a deadly team.
Amar Singh also cultivated a wide range of power brokers like Rajiv Shukla & Shammi Tandon.
Such was the proximity and covert closeness that when Amar Singh got bail in the infamous Cash-For-Vote scam, Shammi Tandon’s family gave surety for bail bond running into lakhs of rupees.
So for the people blaming Jaitley for his ambition and political shrewdness, I have only one thing to say: you are barking up the right tree but the wrong branch.
Though one person who can have an entirely different take on the branch is a man sitting in London. A man named Lalit Modi. But even he won’t dispute the tree.
(Dr. Gaurav Pradhan is Chief Information Officer, Data Scientist, Digital Strategist & Advisor, Key Note Speaker based out of seattle and is ranked in the top 10 Global CIO. He can be followed on Twitter @DrGPradhan for more views and opinions. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of News World India)