NEW DELHI: Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief Ajay Maken on Wednesday taunted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for keeping the Lokayukta’s chair vacant.
Reacting to unconfirmed reports of over 20 MLAs to be investigated, Maken said had there been a Lokayukta, there would have been no need for anyone else, including the Delhi Police to interfere.
“If someone is responsible for this, then, it is only Kejriwal. For days, we have been demanding for a Lokayukta in Delhi. So, why is that post still vacant? It has been 19 months since the Congress Party moved out of power in Delhi, and the Lokayukta’s chair is still vacant. If the Lokayukta had been there, it would have investigated the 21 MLAs,” Maken told ANI.
Kejriwal showing keenness and opening a 1031 help line to complain against corrupt officers is a good thing, but what sense does it make to remove the Lokayukta, where complaints against corrupt MLAs, ministers and officials can and should be registered. It is not possible to open a helpline number for others and close the other for your own ministers,” he added.
Maken maintained that Kejriwal is not even serious about the Lokayukta issue, and this could be gauged by the fact that he had removed the AAP's internal Lokpal Admiral (retired) L. Ramdas.
He said the AAP chief was wholly responsible for the present state of affairs in the city-government.
Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi said, "I don’t want to say anything on this issue. I don’t know from where you have got this kind of information.... All I would like to say is that if any such cases are pending, then our objective would be to conduct the investigation as soon as possible. The report will be presented in the court after the investigation papers. That report can be the chargesheet under Section 173 or it can be the cancellation report or the trace report.”
The Delhi Police is reportedly close to wrapping up its investigations.