NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeted Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash today, accusing him of "protecting" the officials against whom several complaints of "corruption" were filed by a doctor of a government hospital.
The fresh attack on Prakash comes after AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed his deputy, Manish Sisodia, to collect evidence from the doctor working at the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, who has levelled allegations of corruption against the incumbent chief secretary and several past chief secretaries.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed that the doctor had filed at least 10 such complaints with different officials, including Prakash, but no action was taken.
"The chief secretary should clarify why no action was taken against the corrupt officials, despite the complaints from the doctor.
Not taking action against the corrupt is akin to siding with them," he told reporters here.
AAP spokesperson Dilip Pandey claimed that an inquiry was ordered by the Vigilance department on one of the complaints of the doctor but no action was taken.
"The Vigilance department had directed for an enquiry, but no action was taken.
Why did the chief secretary not ensure action on it?," he asked.
Prakash was at the centre of the strained relations between the AAP dispensation and the IAS officers of the Delhi government, following an alleged attack on him at Kejriwal's official residence here in February.
Pandey said the AAP supported the doctor's demand for a CBI inquiry into the matter.
Kejriwal had yesterday directed Sisodia to look into the allegations levelled by the doctor.
"Directed Manish Sisodia, Minister (Vigilance), to meet the complainant and get all evidence (sic)," the chief minister had said on Twitter.
The development comes in the wake of news reports quoting the doctor, who has alleged that the chief secretaries took "bribes" from officials facing corruption charges for delaying an inquiry against them.