Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, now in its budget session in winter capital Jammu, on Monday witnessed pandemonium over the alleged embezzlement of funds in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), closing with a protest walkout of Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It had demanded a case be registered against Union minister for new and renewable energy minister Farooq Abdullah who heads the association and a CBI probe ordered into what is being termed as “cricket scam” running in crores of rupees.
The PDP had moved an adjournment motion seeking discussion on alleged misappropriation of the funds received from the BCCI for promotion of the sport in Jammu and Kashmir. But the Speaker rejected it following which the PDP legislators began chanting anti-government slogans and created pandemonium in the House. It alleged the government was not serious in discussing the issue of alleged corruption. Later, the PDP members staged a protest sit-in outside the House. The party president Mehbooba Mufti reiterated the demand that action be taken against JKCA president Farooq Abdullah for his alleged involvement in the scam.
Dr Abdullah has in a signed statement issued from New Delhi strongly denied the charge. Reacting to reports that he had authorised a loan to prominent Srinagar businessman and the then treasurer of the association and main accused in the scandal Ahsan Ahmad Mirza, the Union minister said when the accounts of the JKCA were sealed by the court and no money was available to run the day to day affairs of the association, he (Mr Mirza) advanced interest free loans from time to time to it which accumulated to `1.90 crores.
He added that on June 28, 2008, the JKCA unanimously resolved that the interest free loan of `1.90 crores should be repaid. As such the J&K Bank (Khanyar, Srinagar branch) was approached sanction a loan of the said amount against two cash certificates of JKCA with a different branch of the bank. It was further resolved that the amount of `1.90 crores so raised be transferred into Mr Mirza’s account to liquidate the loan he had forwarded to the association.