New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentary board on Wednesday suspended Member of Parliament Kirti Azad from the party over his allegations against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi and District Cricket Association scam.
The decision was taken after Azad addressed media on Sunday and made some revelations in the DDCA scam.
He was charged with anti-party activities and accused of "colluding" with Congress and AAP to bring it into "disrepute".
A terse announcement suspending him came from the party headquarters but a detailed communication from the Board went to him listing his "anti-party" activities in and outside Parliament, "lowering the prestige" of the party and its office-bearers.
Cricketer-turned-politician Azad is a BJP MP from Darbhanga in Bihar and the son of former Bihar chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad.
Meanwhile, in his defence Azad told ANI that he did not say anything against anyone personally and that the decision is 'unfortunate'.
"If anyone is responsible for this, it is the party itself, I have been saying this for 9 years," Azad was quoted as saying by ANI.
Azad had also dared Jaitley to sue him for defamation after the Finance Minister decided to file civil and criminal cases against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for slander.
"Wait and watch Wait and watch what I do next. Now I will tell everyone," he said, sounding defiant.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha had described Azad as "hero" and urged the party not to take action against him.
"Humble appeal to friends. Avoid knee jerk reaction/coercive action against (a) friend who`s fighting against corruption,” Sinha had tweeted.
Taking a dig at the BJP over Azad's suspension, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted, "Kirti Azad suspended by BJP. His crime ? Raised issue of Corruption in DDCA with facts (sic)."
Kirti Azad suspended by BJP. His crime ? Raised issue of Corruption in DDCA with facts.
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) December 23, 2015
Is this going to be the fate of all those in BJP who raise issue of Corruption ? First Ram Jethmalani and now Kirti. Next Shatrughan Sinha?
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) December 23, 2015
(With PTI inputs)
