Senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit today defended CBI arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar even as she questioned the "timing" of the "politically motivated" charges against her pertaining to the alleged multi-crore water tanker scam.
The former Delhi Chief Minister said "no" when asked about allegations that the BJP-ruled Centre was taking political revenge for its electoral setback in Delhi by resorting to arrests including that of Kumar that has left the AAP livid.
Dikshit said that CBI must have arrested Kumar, who served in various capacities during her tenure, based on some information. "I don't think CBI works based on timings per se. But we did not receive any complaint against him during our time so we could not take any action."
"Since you just spoke of timing. I think the Delhi Jal Board thing is a politically motivated thing," she added.
Interestingly, both the charges against Kumar and the alleged irregularities in procuring water tankers go back to the tenure of the Congress government in Delhi led by Dikshit.
Interacting with the press at the Indian Women's Press Corps here, Dikshit, a three-time Delhi Chief Minister, said the city's development was sliding down under AAP and that there has been "no follow up" off all the announcements.
She said the Kejriwal government's decision to appoint as many as 21 Parliamentary Secretaries was devoid of "propriety" and that it was not required at all.
"Even we had two or three (par secys). We had told the government of India that we were planning to have one or two more.
"I don't know whether they took permission from Centre but making 21 MLAs parliamenrtary secretaries out of 70 seems to be a mismatch. I think things have to be within certain limitations and propriety and I don't think 21 parliamentary secretaries have any requirement at all," Dikshit said.
On AAP's frequent run-ins with the Centre and its equation with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Dikshit called for "coordination" with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Urban Development Ministry stressing that it was AAP's responsibility to overcome hurdles.
"Once you come into governance, and AAP got a huge majority, you serve people. Please remember that Delhi is the capital of the country so the Central government would also be interested that it becomes a showpiece for the whole country.
"There has neve been any problem as far as we are concerned, when we sought something, wanted a particular officer, there was never any problem or conflict. And please remember it included three-four years when BJP was at the Centre," she said.
On the state of governance in Delhi, Dikshit remarked
there has been "no change" at all notwithstanding the AAP's claims through "huge advertisements".
"What are you advertising? What have you achieved? There have just been announcements so far without any follow up. The price rise in Delhi pains me. What kind of an administration is this?" Dikshit asked.
"There is no revenge at all. All the seven Delhi MPs belong to BJP. Kejriwal is misinterpreting it to suit his current situation," she said.
Dikshit termed as "jerky" Kejriwal's proposal to have a referendum on the issue of full statehood to Delhi saying her government had tried to get the status although it failed as "apart from being a capital territory we have to remember that Delhi houses the Union government as well."
She said, people who may have got "carried away" with AAP's promise of freebies during the Delhi polls, must be "regretting" their decision now.
