[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]A[/dropcap]n ugly war has broken out between Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal and the Centre over a CBI raid at the offices and residence of CM’s Principal secretary Rajinder Kumar Jha. While Kejriwal claimed that the CM’s office was raided and CBI sleuths went through his personal files, the probe agency and Finance minister Arun Jaitley denied the allegations.
In the midst of claims and counter claims as the Opposition parties rallied around Kejriwal and claimed the CBI was carrying out the vendetta politics of the BJP, Kejriwal slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a ‘coward’ and a `psychopath’.
The issue dominated the proceedings in parliament as the opposition parties alleged that the BJP-led regime at the centre was trying to destabilize the non-BJP state government by misusing CBI and imposing `undeclared’ emergency.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]I[/dropcap]n a stern warning to Modi, the Delhi chief Minister declared he would not be cowed down by any CBI raid. “I’m telling you Modi-ji, you may have scared others but I’m not among those who can be intimidated. I’ll fight till my last breath.”
“They say that my choice of words were incorrect, but your actions are bad. My words may be bad, I was born in Siwan village of Haryana. Maybe my words were bad. But your actions are bad. You apologize to the nation for your misdeeds and I will apologize for my words,” Kejriwal said in the evening after the BJP attack on him for his strong words against Modi.
Kejriwal wondered if at all Rajinder Kumar was involved in corruption during his previous tenure under Shiela Dixit government, then those offices should have been raided. “If they were not trying to target me, they would have raided the offices of education department or Information and Technology department where Kumar searched as secretary in his previous tenure. The files are not in my offices. It shows they were carrying out political vendetta,” he said.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]K[/dropcap]ejriwal said the CBI had come looking for files related to corruption in Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) in which Arun Jaitley was involved. “They were looking for those papers because I’m about to order judicial probe into the DDCA sandal,” he said.
Kumar was charged with IPC 120-B, 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Criminal conspiracy, criminal misconduct etc), a CBI spokesperson said.
“After taking warrants, searches are being conducted in the office and residence of Rajendra Kumar. The allegations against Kumar were raised by Ashish Joshi, former Member Secretary, Delhi Dialogue Commission,” the CBI said.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he CBI spokesperson later said that reports from certain quarters regarding searches at the office of Delhi Chief Minister “are baseless”.
The CBI carried out raids at 14 places including the office and residence of Rajendra Kumar. Kejriwal claimed that the CBI officials sealed the thirds floor where the offices of his PS and his own officers are located.
The CBI spokesperson later said that reports from certain quarters regarding searches at the office of Delhi Chief Minister “are baseless”.
“False propaganda should not be used to impede our investigation,” the CBI spokesperson said, adding that the searches were being conducted against his Principal Secretary.
Kejriwal posted a series of tweets to express his ourtrage over the CBI raids.
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“CBI lying. My own office raided. Files of CM office are being looked into. Let Modi say which file he wants?”
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Modi is a coward and a psycopath
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When Modi cudn’t handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he case related to award of some contracts by Rajinder Kumar when he served as secretary, Education department; secretary, Information and Technology; and secretary, value added tax under former chief minister Sheila Dixit. The raid did not yield much. While the agency raided 15 places it could recover just around Rs. 13 lakhs in cash and papers of some properties which Rajinder Kumar has already declared.
The CBI said it has registered a case against Kumar and others on allegations against the officer that he abused his official position by “favoring a particular firm in the last few years in getting tenders from Delhi government departments”.
“After taking warrants, searches are being conducted in the office and residence of Rajendra Kumar. The allegations against Kumar were raised by Ashish Joshi, former Member Secretary, Delhi Dialogue Commission,” the CBI said.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]A[/dropcap]part from Kumar, the agency has named A K Duggal and G K Nanda, former MDs of Intelligent Communication System India Limited (ICSIL), R S Kaushik, MD of ICSIL, Sandeep Kumar and Dinesh K Gupta, Directors of Ms Endeavour Systems Private Limited and the said firm as accused in their FIR filed under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the IPC.
Meanwhile, stung by Kejriwal’s vehement attack of the PM, the BJP called his comments “disgraceful” and accused him of protecting a corrupt officer.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad sought an apology from the Delhi Chief Minister for calling Modi a “coward and psychopath”, and refuted his Charge that CBI raided his office, saying it was not even “touched” by the agency sleuths.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]C[/dropcap]laiming that Rajendra Kumar is accused of helping a private firm in cornering Delhi government’s contracts, Praasad said that “Which law says that CBI should have informed the chief minister before raiding his officer’s office? There is no such law…. You (Kejriwal) would announce names of corrupt people in your press conferences and it was fair and here CBI is acting as per law and you claim it is bad.”
“A textbook case of corruption is being given political colour for extraneous reasons…. The use of such expressions for our popular prime minister is totally uncalled for, unwarranted, disgraceful and condemnable,” he said.
Similarly, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, “It has become a fashion with him to quarrel with the central government and to take the name of the Prime Minister for each and every thing. The CBI does not function under the government.”
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said Kejriwal’s comments were “atrocious” and accused him of “protecting” the corrupt and engaging in “worst kind of politics”.
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