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LG questions legality of DDCA probe, Kejriwal hits back

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Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (Photo: PTI/File)

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Seeking Centre’s intervention, LG Najeeb Jung has questioned the legality of appointment of inquiry by Arvind Kejriwal Government to probe DDCA issue, triggering a new round of confrontation with the Chief Minister who said the matter was out of the LG’s purview.

“In a communication to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the LG has stated that the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952 empowers only the Centre and state governments to appoint a commission of inquiry. Since, Delhi is a Union Territory, a commission of inquiry may be ordered only with the concurrence of the Centre, through the LG,” sources said.

“Also, the funding for the DDCA comes not only from Delhi but also other states and hence it is not just Delhi Government’s jurisdiction to conduct a probe,” they added.

The LG is also believed to have cited that the inquiry into the CNG fitness kit scam set up by the Kejriwal government earlier was set aside by the Centre on the same ground.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, however, has claimed that the action amounts to “unjustified interference” as the inquiry is “perfectly” legal and Union Minister Arun Jaitley should cooperate with the inquiry commission and stop “misusing” the LG office.

“We are not scared when all the agencies under them including police CBI, DRI are after us, why are they scared with one commission of enquiry,” he added.

Kejriwal also maintained that the Transaction Business Rules (TBR) clarify that this file is not needed to be sent to LG for clearance, tersely adding “he is not a dictator”.

“According to the Constitution, LG has three subjects under him- police, public order and land. According to the TBR, no other file should go to LG for clearance, he is not a dictator,” Kejriwal said.

“The rule says that the commission of enquiry can be instituted by the Cabinet and Legislative Assembly, they are empowered to do so. Raising objections to this is politics to save those who are corrupt,” he said on sidelines of an event.

“Jaitley should cooperate with the commission of enquiry and stop misusing the LG house. I also hope that Rajnath Singh will not try to shield him by obstructing the probe,” he said.

(Agencies)

Women drivers, two-wheeler riders exempted: Kejriwal

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that women drivers and two-wheeler riders would be exempted from the odd-even transport formula to be implemented from January 1 here.

“Only women (drivers) or women with kids below 12 years will be exempted from the odd-even formula. Two-wheeler riders will also be exempted,” Kejriwal told the media.

He announced a fine of Rs.2,000 for not following the odd-even formula.

Kejriwal also said that the vehicles of the president, vice president, prime minister, speaker of Lok Sabha and deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha will be exempted.

Those who would be exempted also include Leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, chief ministers of states except Delhi, judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court and the Lokayukta will be exempted from the odd-even formula.

“Deputy speaker of Lok Sabha, governors of states, Lt governor, chief justice of India and union ministers will also be exempted.”

He said those on way to hospital for medical emergency will also be exempted, if they carry proof.

He said that the emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire tenders, prison vans, hearses and enforcement vehicles will also exempted.

(Agencies)

Kejriwal seeks Modi’s resignation, attacks Jaitley

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arvind-kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation for ordering a CBI raid on his office.

Launching his fiercest attack yet on the prime minister, Kejriwal told the Delhi assembly that the CBI raided his office – notwithstanding the CBI’s denials – because it was looking for a file on the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

“I demand Prime Minister Modi’s resignation for the fraudulent raid he ordered to save (Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley,” who had headed the DDCA for years, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said to thumping of desks by his party colleagues.

Kejriwal also asked Modi to sack Jaitley because of his involvement in the DDCA, where critics have alleged largescale financial bungling. Jaitley has claimed innocence in the entire affair.

If Jaitley was indeed innocent, he should prove this to the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Delhi government, he said.

“He should feel ashamed,” Kejriwal thundered, referring to Modi and the December 15 raid by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has denied searching Kejriwal’s office and said that it only targeted his principal secretary Rajendra Kumar for corruption.

December 15, the chief minister said, was “a black day” for India.

Kejriwal accused Modi of constantly interfering in the functioning of the AAP government.

He said he had urged Modi to let the AAP government work without interference but “he did not agree”.

“The CBI said the chief minister was not raided… Only his principal secretary’s office was raided. If this is indeed true, why did they enter my office?” Kejriwal asked.

He said they were looking for a file on the DDCA, and alleged that despite 50 hours of interrogation spread over six days, the CBI had not been able to build a case of corruption against Rajendra Kumar. “They are mentally torturing him.”

Kejriwal poked fun at Modi for wearing a Rs.10 lakh suit last year, and demanded to know how a “chai wala” (tea seller) could afford such a costly suit.

The AAP leader denied accusations that his party had earlier advocated independence for the CBI but had now done a U turn.

“Even today we say that the CBI should be independent. And the day it becomes independent, it will not raid Rajendra Kumar… It will send a notice to Modi to ask where you got Rs.10 lakh to buy the suit.

“The CBI is not independent. Don’t fool the people.”

(IANS)

DDCA row: Jaitley files defamation complaint against Kejriwal

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arun jaitley

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday filed a criminal defamation complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders for making what he said were false allegations about irregularities in the DDCA.

Jaitley said the allegations levelled by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders will cause “irreversible damage to his reputation”.

Advocate Sidharth Luthra told the court that the minister did not take “a single penny” from the Delhi and District Cricket Association and that Kejriwal and AAP leaders had made defamatory and baseless charges.

“No member of the family of Jaitely is involved in any capacity with the companies involved in the DDCA case,” Luthra told the court.

He cited Facebook and Twitter posts of AAP leaders to show how Jaitley was defamed.

In his complaint against Kejriwal, Jaitley also named AAP leaders Kumar Vishwas, Raghav Chadha, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai.

Jaitley, who headed the DDCA for 13 years till 2013, has been accused of corruption by Delhi’s ruling AAP. He has denied the charges.

Kejriwal has demanded that Jaitley must resign from the government or be removed as finance minister to enable an independent probe into the DDCA affairs.

(Agencies)

Kejriwal’s fresh salvo, claims CBI told to target Opposition

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CBI-Kejriwal

New Delhi: The confrontation between Delhi’s ruling AAP and the Centre Friday intensified with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal making fresh allegations that CBI has been asked to “target” the opposition and “finish those who don’t fall in line”.

Kejriwal’s latest salvo came a day after he demanded that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley be removed from the Cabinet for alleged corruption in Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) which he had headed for 14 years till 2013.

Jaitley had rejected the allegations calling it was a propaganda technique of Kejriwal to deflect attention when he himself was in the “dock”.

Kejriwal today tweeted, “A CBI officer told me yesterday that CBI has been asked to target all opposition parties and finish those who don’t fall in line.”

The AAP chief once again chose the social media route to level the charges. He had virtually live-tweeted the CBI raid at his Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar’s office in the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday.

Kejriwal had said Jaitley’s assertion that AAP’s allegations against him are “unsubstantiated and non-specific” could not be treated as “gospel truth” as the charges against him were “very, very serious”.

(Agencies)

AAP calls Jaitley corrupt, asks Modi to sack him

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aap

New Delhi: Keeping up the attack on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, AAP today alleged huge financial bunglings in DDCA during his 13 year-old tenure as its chief, saying large amounts were siphoned off through fake companies besides other irregularies including in team selection.

At a press conference here, the AAP leaders, quoting from reports of Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), DDCA’s internal probe committee and a Delhi Government-appointed inquiry panel, accused Jaitley of giving “direct and indirect” consent to “massive corruption” in the cricket body.

Jaitley had yesterday rubbished the allegations and said he will not respond to vague charges. “The bunglings had happened under direct or indirect consent of Arun Jaitley during his tenure as DDCA chief. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must ask Jaitley to resign to ensure fair probe as some of the competent agencies to invstigate the are under Finance Ministry,” said AAP Spokesperson Raghav Chadha, flanked by a number of other leaders.

Citing instances of such “frauds”, he alleged an additional expenditure of Rs 90 crore was incurred in renovation of the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium against sanctioned budget of Rs 24 crore and that fake companies were set up by DDCA office bearers to siphon off money through roundtripping.

“Payments were made to five companies whose registered addresses were same and were headed by same director. There was duplication of funds and fictitious companies were paid for work they never did,” alleged Chadha. Calling the irregularities a “Commonwealth Scam of Cricket”, they said BJP MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad had been seeking investigation into the serious allegations and a number of inquiry commitees have found gross misappropriation of funds in DDCA.

The AAP leaders repeated their allegations that Jaitley was behind the CBI raid at Delhi Secretariat on Monday as well as “take over” of Delhi ACB from Delhi Government by the Centre to scuttle probe into DDCA affairs.

“The DDCA was a den of corruption under Jaitley,” said Chadha. Asked why they have come out with the reports of SFIO and DDCA’s internal committee which were already in public domain, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the Delhi government was committed to investigate the irregularities unlike past dispensations which “sat over them”.

“The CBI had come looking for few incriminating documents that are not yet in public domain. The raids were carried out in an attempt to intimidate the Delhi Government,” he alleged.

AAP said the statutory auditor of DDCA has been facing prosecution for fudging accounts and that a statement to this effect was made by MoS in Finance Ministry Jayant Sinha in Parliament.

To Jaitley’s comment that he would only respond to specific charges, Singh said now the Finance Minister should not only answer to the allegations but also should resign from the post. “Jaitley is not only answerable to us. But he is answerable to his own party members.”

The AAP leaders said acting on a communication dated July 27 from Union Sports Ministry, the Delhi government initiated a probe into irregularities in DDCA.

“A three-member committee was formed for the purpose headed by senior IAS officer Chetan Sanghi. The committee on November 17 gave a report to the Chief Minister highlighting glaring irregularities in DDCA and recommended setting up of a Commission of Enquiry to thoroughly probe the matter,” said Chadha.

Ashutosh claimed that Sanghi was threatened of dire consequences by a joint secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The party said 22 days after Sanghi filed the report, on December 9, the ACB registered a case of corruption against him in connection with some of his decisions during the Sheila Dikshit Government.

The AAP leaders quoted a DDCA internal fact-finding committee report which they said “the magnitude and extent of improprieties, irregularities and misconduct committed by various officials were of gigantic proportions”.

They alleged that 10 newly constructed corporate boxes at Feroz Shah Kotla were given out on lease to companies without following laid down rules during Jaitley’ tenure.

“There were instances of proxy litigations to mint money. Lawyers who used to appear against DDCA were paid by the cricket body itself,” said Chadha.

They alleged that Jaitley had turned DDCA into “an exclusive club of elites and had institutionalised corruption. Only wards of political leaders and the rich can hope to play for Delhi due to nepotism.”

AAP said forged age cerificates were used to fudge to let certain players get selected despite exceeding age limit and quoted FIR into large number of such cases which the Delhi Police did not pursue.

“Selection of selectors and players for across age groups were as per Jaitley’s choice,” said Singh adding the party will come out with “part two of the revealation soon”. Kumar Vishwas said the party had “overheard” that there was a big agenda against it lined up for Friday.

(Agencies)

CBI accessed documents not related with probe: Kejriwal

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CBI-Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the CBI seized documents that had “no relation” to the allegations being probed against Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar.

“Docs seized from my office. No relation to allegations being probed. CBI kept reading DDCA file in my office. They wud hv seized it. But after my media briefing, they left it. Not clear if they took a copy,” Kejriwal said in a series of tweets on Wednesday.

He also attacked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, asking why he was scared of a probe into the alleged irregularities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

“FM lied in the Parliament yesterday…. Why is Jaitley ji so scared of DDCA probe? What is his role in DDCA scam?,” he tweeted.

The CBI had searched the office of Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar in connection with a corruption case where the officer allegedly abused his position to award contracts to a particular firm.

(Agencies)

Found Rs.2.4 lakh from Kejriwal’s secretary’s house: CBI

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cbi

New Delhi: The CBI said on Tuesday that it raided 14 locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and found Rs.2.4 lakh from the house of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s secretary.

A CBI spokesman said documents related to three immovable properties along with the cash were recovered from secretary Rajendra Kumar’s residence.

Kejriwal said earlier that the CBI had raided his office and called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “coward”.

The Central Bureau of Investigation also said that Kumar was not cooperating with it in opening his email accounts.

The CBI said another Rs.10.5 lakh had been recovered from G.K. Nanda, who it said was a co-accused with Kumar in a case of corruption.

Nanda is the general manager of Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL).

(Agencies)

Modi is coward and psychopath, says Kejriwal after CBI raids his office

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arvind-kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today claimed the CBI has raided his office in central Delhi and launched a no holds barred attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was resorting to “cowardice”.

The Chief Minister, who is involved in a prolonged tussle with the Centre, accused the Modi government of resorting to vendetta politics and came down heavily on the agency for the raids at Players Building.

“CBI raids my office,” Kejriwal tweeted.

CBI raids my office

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 15, 2015

“When Modi cudn’t handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice. Modi is a coward and psychopath,” he said in another tweet expressing his anguish over the raids.

When Modi cudn’t handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 15, 2015

CBI Spokesperson said the searches were being conducted at the office of the Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar and that details would be shared later.

Sources said that a team of CBI officials went to the Delhi Secretariat, which houses office of Kejriwal and other ministers in the morning and conducted the search in the third floor of the building.

They said the search may be in connection with the multi-crore CNG fitness scam.

Sources said that there were allegations that Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary was linked to the scam but the senior IAS officer as well as AAP government have been rejecting the charges.

The third floor of the secretariat also houses Kejriwal’s offce.

The AAP government has been locked in a running feud with the Centre over the control of important functions like law and order, police and land.

(Agencies)

PM should get a ‘salary hike’: Arvind Kejriwal

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Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Seeking to deflect criticism over the proposed hike in the salaries of Delhi MLAs, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said Pime Minister Narendra Modi should get a “salary hike” as well.

In a strident defence of the decision of his government, Kejriwal said even after the hike is effected, MLAs won’t earn even “120th fraction” of what editors of media organisations and top TV anchors earn.

“How is Rs 1 lakh per month unreasonable? If the Prime Minister’s salary is less than this, even his salary should be raised. We all demand that his salary should be hiked,” he said while speaking in Delhi Assembly over Janlokpal.

However, in a tongue-in-cheek remark, Kejriwal envisaged an embarassing situation for Modi when he encounters US President Barack Obama. “Kal ko Obama miley toh kya bolenege…(if he meets Obama tomorrow, what will he say. It (PM’s salary) should be at least 8-10 lakh.”

Kejriwal said it was important to give legislators proper salaries and other facilities but “if they still indulge in corruption don’t spare them.”

Delhi Assembly had yesterday cleared a bill providing for hefty hike in salaries of MLAs and ministers. As per its provision, the basic salary of legislators will rise from current Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000 and their overall monthly package will be around Rs 2.1 lakh as against Rs 88,000 at present.

(Agencies)

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