BJP staring at defeat in MCD, so slinging mud: AAP on Shunglu report on Delhi govt's 'abuse of power'

The BJP is staring at defeat and so it is resorting to mud-slinging ahead of the MCD polls, the AAP claimed reacting to the findings of the Shunglu Committee report. Addressing a press conference, AAP's Delhi unit convenor Dilip Pandey claimed that the BJP has used similar tactics in the past and the report being made public just before the polls indicates that the party is rattled. "When the Shunglu Committee was formed to probe the AAP government, why has the BJP not formed any panel to look into financial irregularities in the MCDs over the last 20 years," he said.

The three-member Shunglu committee, formed by the then Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, has pointed out "gross abuse of power" by the Arvind Kejriwal government in its report. The committee has flagged decisions including the allotment of land to the AAP for its party office, appointment of Minister Satyendra Jain's daughter as "mission director" of Delhi State Health Mission and a number of purported AAP functionaries as "advisors".

Commenting on the Delhi government's decision to allot land to the AAP for its party office, senior AAP leader Ashutosh said the Aam Aadmi Party is a recognised state party and is entitled to get space for its office. "Has anyone asked the Congress that why does the party have an office when it has zero seats and the BJP has only three seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly," Ashutosh said.

BJP says goes Shunglu report just a trailer

‘The Shunglu committee report is just a trailer. If we conduct an investigation properly, then we will get to know that the government is full of corruption. Presently, the most corrupted party is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). There is no need of his (Arvind Kejriwal) resignation as the public will show him like they showed it recent Goa and Punjab assembly elections,’ BJP leader Vijay Goel told ANI. Echoing similar sentiment, another BJP leader Maheish Girri said, ‘Shunglu report has shown that Arvind Kejriwal has cheated the country. He has never thought of benefitting the people of Delhi rather only look for his own interest."

Senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli asserted that the AAP never cared for the constitutional provisions and had been using public funds for the benefit of their own friends.

‘The report reveals that the AAP doesn’t care about the constitutional provisions. They are using public funds for the benefit of their own friends, colleagues, relatives. Just being elected by the people, doesn’t give them right to misuse the constitution,’ Kohli said.

A day before, in a major setback to the AAP, the three-member Shunglu Committee, set up by former Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, unearthed irregularities in the allotment of lands by Kejriwal-led government while alleging that party allotted residential houses to its minister under the guise of office accommodation. The committee, in the above-mentioned 100-page report, raised questions on the allotment of 206, Rouse Avenue - a minister's bungalow used as party office - to AAP.

The three-member committee, in over 100-page report, questioned the appointment of Health Minister Satyendra Jain's daughter Soumya Jain as an adviser to Mission Director, Delhi State Health Mission. The committee also raised objection on the appointment of several personal staff of ministers including Roshan Shankar as advisor to the minister of tourism, appointment of Abhinav Rai to the minister of transport, appointment of Rahul Bhasin in CM office, appointment of Gopal Mohan, a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal.