New Delhi: Sacked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Kapil Mishra kept up the heat on the Delhi government on Monday by meeting investigating agencies to submit evidence he claims to have gathered against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his aides on alleged irregularities related to the hiring of tankers to supply water to Delhi neighbourhoods.
The political affairs committee (PAC) of the party, meanwhile, suspended Mishra from the primary membership of the party at a meeting chaired by Kejriwal. “The truth will win. This will start with a special session of the Delhi assembly tomorrow,” Kejriwal wrote on Twitter after the meeting.
Mishra, who has alleged that he saw Kejriwal accepting Rs2 crore in cash at his official residence from Delhi’s health minister Satyendra Jain, visited the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to meet the agencies’ officials.
The water tanker case dates back to the years when the Congress party under Sheila Dikshit governed Delhi. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator last year registered a police complaint against Kejriwal for not cancelling the water tanker contract and for delaying a probe into it.
“I have information regarding the water tanker scam on how the investigation was influenced and delayed by Arvind Kejriwal and his aides and how attempts were made to save Sheila Dikshit...I have submitted the basic information that I have with the ACB,” Mishra said.
AAP denied Mishra’s allegations against Kejriwal, the latest embarrassment for the party following reverses in the assembly elections in Punjab and Goa and in the Delhi municipal polls.
“If he (Mishra) is making such accusations, then he should also reveal what time was he present at the CM’s residence and was he invited by the CM. He is now speaking BJP’s language. We have zero tolerance against corruption,” AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh told reporters.
Mishra retorted: “Whoever speaks against the party is termed a BJP agent. All workers of the party know that I am the most vocal critic of BJP and will never join the party. I will remain with AAP.”
The allegation by Mishra that he saw Kejriwal accepting Rs2 crore from Jain was referred for investigation to the ACB by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Monday.
“A tough probe will be undertaken based on the documents that the ACB has received. We haven’t received any complaint from Mishra about Kejriwal accepting Rs2 crore cash,” said the Delhi government’s ACB chief Mukesh Meena, who was summoned by the lieutenant governor to brief him about Mishra’s statement.
Opposition parties kept up the pressure on Kejriwal. A BJP delegation met the lieutenant governor to demand action against the chief minister and the Delhi unit of the Congress party sought the L-G’s sanction to initiate the prosecution of Kejriwal.