Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Raghav Chadha and Atishi were detained by the Delhi Police on Sunday, 13 December, ahead of a protest outside the residence of Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi L-G Anil Baijal respectively. Chadha, along with several other MLAs, had planned a peaceful protest against the alleged misappropriation of Rs 2,457 crore MCD funds by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
DCP (New Delhi) Eish Singhal told The Indian Express, “In view of the DDMA guidelines, all public gatherings are prohibited to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Moreover, Section 144 of CrPC has been in force in New Delhi district. We have considered the (AAP) request but rejected it.”
So, what is the scam alleged by the AAP and how has the BJP responded to it?
What is the alleged scam?
According to the AAP, the north Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has waived Rs 2,500 crore rent dues of the South MCD. This, they allege has resulted in “a big loss to the public exchequer.”
The AAP has alleged that the amount waived by the North MCD was the rent for using the premises of the civic centre building in central Delhi. This property comes under the control of North civic body.
What are the AAP’s demands?
AAP MLA Atishi has demanded a CBI probe into the allegation. Addressing the media, she said, “We demand that there be a CBI inquiry for this loss to the public exchequer. There must be stringent action against the culprits, because it is with this Rs 2,500 crore that doctors, staff, nurses, teachers, our COVID warriors could have been paid salaries. We will continue the sit-in until a CBI inquiry is ordered into the issue.”
Why AAP is opposed to waiving the rent?
The AAP has pointed out that three municipal corporations coming under the BJP are facing a serious financial crunch. Recently, the North corporation was not being able to pay regular salaries to their municipal corporation employees, engineers, doctors and other staff.
How did the BJP respond to the allegations?
Describing the allegations as “politically biased”, the BJP has denied the AAP’s claims. The BJP has claimed that the AAP’s allegation comes after mayors of the three civic bodies have been protesting outside the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding disbursement of funds which they claim the Delhi government owes the civic bodies.
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