Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has defended CBI arresting Arvind Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar even as she questioned the “timing” of the “politically motivated” charges against her in the alleged multi-crore water tanker scam.
Rejecting that the BJP-ruled Centre was taking political revenge for its electoral setback in Delhi by resorting to arrests, including that of Kumar that has left the AAP livid, Dikshit said that CBI must have arrested Kumar, who served in various capacities during her tenure, based on some information.
“I don’t think CBI works based on timings per se. But we did not receive any complaint against him during our time so we could not take any action… Since you just spoke of timing. I think the Delhi Jal Board thing is a politically motivated thing,” she added.
Interestingly, both the charges against Kumar and the alleged irregularities in procuring water tankers date back to the erstwhile Dikshit Government.
Interacting with the Press at the Indian Women’s Press Corps, Dikshit, a three-time Delhi CM, said the city’s development was sliding down under the AAP and that there has been “no follow up” of all the announcements.
She said the Kejriwal Government’s decision to appoint as many as 21 Parliamentary Secretaries was devoid of “propriety” and that it was not required at all. “Even we had two or three (Par Secys). We had told the Centre that we were planning to have one or two more. I don’t know whether they took permission from the Centre, but making 21 MlAs Parliamentary Secretaries out of 70 seems to be a mismatch. I think things have to be within certain limits and propriety and I don’t think 21 Parliamentary Secretaries have any requirement at all,” she said.
On AAP’s frequent run-ins with the Centre and its equation with lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Dikshit called for “coordination” with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Urban Development Ministry stressing that it was AAP’s responsibility to overcome hurdles.
“Once you come into governance, and AAP got a huge majority, you serve people. Please remember that Delhi is the Capital of the country so the Central Government would also be interested that it becomes a showpiece for the whole country.
“There has never been any problem as far as we are concerned, when we sought something, wanted a particular officer, there was never any problem or conflict. And please remember it included three-four years when the BJP was at the Centre,” she said.
On the state of governance in Delhi, Dikshit remarked there has been “no change” at all notwithstanding the AAP’s claims through “huge advertisements”.
“What are you advertisingIJ What have you achievedIJ There have just been announcements so far without any follow up. The price rise in Delhi pains me. What kind of an administration is thisIJ” Dikshit asked.