Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Monday sent legal notice to AAP leaders Atishi Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Sanjay Singh, Jasmine Shah and others for leveling “false, derogatory and malicious” allegations against him for his alleged involvement in a `1,400 crore “scam” during his tenure as the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) chairman.
The legal notice also asks the AAP leaders to comply with the requisitions within 48 hours of its receipt.
In his notice to AAP leaders, the L-G through his lawyer asked them to issue a press release “directing all members of the party and all persons associated with it, whether directly or indirectly”.
The notice also asked the AAP leaders to cease and desist from spreading and circulating false, defamatory, malicious and unsubstantiated statements”. The legal notice was sent through advocate Bani Dikshit.
As per the notices, the total Khadi sale across the country during 2016-17 was Rs 2146.60 Cr as per KVIC Annual Report 2016-17. There were only seven Departmental Store Outlets (DSOs) of KVIC, sale from which was Rs 173.58 Cr during the entire year of 2016-17, while the remaining sale was done through independent Khadi Institution stores and franchisees.
“Out of sale of Rs 173.58 Cr from these seven DSOs during the year, Rs 99.35 Cr was through retail sales and the remaining was through whole sale and Government supplies. Since the period under demonetisation was from November 9, 2016 till December 31, 2016, therefore on a pro-rata basis, retails sales worth approximately only Rs 14.43 cr (actual may vary) took place through these DSOs during the period of demonetization,” the notice read.
“Hence, by any stretch of imagination, whatsoever, the figure of Rs 1400 Cr is not only incompatible with real and unquestionable figures duly recorded in the books of accounts but also an incomprehensible mathematical impossibility even if one were to take into account, the actual sales of the entire year which amounted to just Rs 173.58 Cr, from seven DSOs,” it read.
The notice said that the indulgence of the AAP and its leaders in such a scandalous smear campaign against Saxena, is solely with the aim of deflecting and diverting attention of the people from the gross failure of the AAP Government in Delhi, their expose in the recently unearthed Excise and Classroom scam coupled with the appreciation gained by the LG for the ‘extraordinary work done by him in the past three months.
“Saxena, while ensuring that the law of the land and statute are upheld in both letter and spirit, my Client has taken several tough decisions in the larger public interest, which may not be palatable to AAP. Thus, the present smear campaign is nothing but bestial vendetta against my client whose actions have unveiled, amongst other things, rampant irregularities and corruption by some key leaders of the AAP,” the notice read.
The notice also highlights the major irregularities by Delhi Government in almost every key area of governance.
“Obstinate and belligerent non-compliance with the Regulations on Audit and Accounts of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (2020), and consistent and repeated refusal by the National Convenor of AAP (also the Chief Minister of Delhi) to sign files sent by him to the Secretariat of the LG, apparently with the aim of avoiding accountability and escaping responsibility, on extremely critical matters relating to governance and administration of the people of Delhi,” the notice stated.
Amid the ongoing tussle with the BJP over the alleged excise policy and education scams, the AAP leaders have levelled money laundering allegations against the Delhi Lieutenant Governor when he was the chairman of the KVIC.