AAP Vs LG: CBI To Probe Kejriwal Govt's Purchase of 1,000 Buses

Delhi's Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved a proposal to forward a complaint to the CBI to probe the alleged corruption in the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).

The complaint had alleged irregularities in a July 2019 procurement bid for 1,000 low floor BS-IV and BS-VI buses and another bid made in March 2020 for the purchase and annual maintenance contract for low floor BS-VI buses, the sources said.

Earlier, a complaint addressed to Saxena in June 2022 had claimed that the appointment of the Minister of Transport as the chairman of the committee for tendering and procurement of buses by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was done in a "premeditated manner." It had also alleged that the appointment of Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) as bid management consultant for this tender was done with an aim to facilitate wrongdoing.

The Background

The complaint was forwarded to the chief secretary on 22 July to seek comments from the departments of the Delhi government and consequently their recommendations.

The report submitted by the chief secretary in August had pointed out certain "irregularities," following which the L-G has now forwarded the complaint to the CBI, sources said, adding the CBI is already conducting a preliminary inquiry into the matter.

In 2021, the Centre had given a green signal to the CBI to investigate an alleged scam in the procurement of 1,000 buses by the Delhi Transport Department.

Saxena has approved the clubbing of the current complaint with the complaint already being inquired into by the central probe agency.

Following the complaint in 2021, the tender for bus purchase was cancelled.

AAP Govt's Response

The Delhi government has hit back, claiming that the Lieutenant Governor's decision was politically motivated, reported NDTV.

Referring to allegations of Saxena misusing his position to award a contract to his daughter, it said, "Buses were never purchased, tenders were cancelled. Delhi needs a more educated L-G. This man has no clue what he is signing on. L-G is facing many serious allegations of corruption. To divert attention, he is making such enquiries. All enquiries so far have yielded no results."

BJP Slams AAP Over 'Irregularities'

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia came down heavily on the AAP government and said that Arvind Kejriwal has no right to remain in the chair of chief minister. He also added that "Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and corruption have become synonymous."

According to news agency PTI, Bhatia questioned AAP over its "hardcore" honesty. He said, "How can you claim to be hardcore honest? People understood you're hardcore corrupt."

Recent Run-Ins

Sources in the L-G office had said on Wednesday, 7 September, that L-G VK Saxena has asked the chief secretary of the Delhi government for "necessary action" on a complaint that accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of "tax evasion" through "undervaluation" of his three properties sold in Haryana.

Here are some prominent AAP leaders, who have been under the scanner of central agencies:

Arvind Kejriwal: The captain of the ship himself, Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, has been accused in a number of cases since his party stormed to power in the national capital.

• Kejriwal was one of the accused in an assault case in 2018 involving the then chief secretary Anshu Prakash. Sisodia and other AAP leaders were also charged in the case. However, a trial court had discharged Kejriwal and Sisodia, who were subsequently granted bail along with nine other MLAs in October 2018.

• In December 2015, just a few months after the AAP assumed power in Delhi, the CBI had conducted searches at Kejriwal's office in connection with a probe against his then principal secretary Rajendra Kumar. Later, in July 2016, the central agency had searched several locations linked to Kumar in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and arrested him on the charge of allegedly providing undue favours to a firm.

• The Delhi CM's nephew, Vinay Bansal, was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch in 2018 in an alleged scam in the Public Works Department. Bansal allegedly had a 50 percent share in a company that was said to be involved in financial irregularities while building a drainage system in Delhi.

Manish Sisodia: The recent CBI raid against the Delhi Deputy CM is not the first run-in he has had with the central agency.

• The CBI had recorded Sisodia's statement at his residence in Delhi's Mathura Road in June 2017 over alleged irregularities in an AAP campaign called 'Talk to AK (Arvind Kejriwal),' which was held months ahead of the Assembly elections in Goa and Punjab. The basis of the programme, which was a two-way interaction, was that Kejriwal would answer questions on a number of issues in Delhi, such as electricity, water supply, education etc. However, the Delhi CM was criticised for spending most of the time answering questions related to the states that were going to the polls instead of the capital's issues. There were also charges of alleged financial irregularities involved in the campaign.

Satyendar Jain: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain has been in judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case.

• Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May 2022 under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED had charged him for alleged hawala transactions through five shell companies controlled by him and his family.

• The ED had claimed that during the period 2015-16, the companies owned and controlled by Jain received accommodation entries of nearly Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the "hawala route."