The Delhi assembly is witnessing a one-of-a-kind night, with both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the opposition BJP holding overnight vigils accusing each other of corruption.
AAP legislators claim that when he was Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission in 2016, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena pressured his employees to exchange demonetised notes worth Rs. 1,400 crores.
BJP MLAs are calling for the dismissal of ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain over allegations of corruption.
Soon after the AAP accused the Delhi LG of laundering money during demonetisation, the BJP responded in a press conference, saying it was a deflection to avoid answering questions about alleged corruption in the liquor policy and school construction in Delhi.
VK Saxena recently recommended that the CBI investigate allegations of corruption in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The AAP had accused him of “interfering” with the work of the city government.
The AAP MLAs have squatted near the Mahatma Gandhi statue, while the BJP MLAs have begun their sit-in inside the assembly grounds near the statues of Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, and Sukhdev.
AAP legislators were seen singing songs, shouting slogans, and holding placards calling for action against the LG. They claim that even though PM Modi was aware of the alleged corruption by the LG, he still appointed him to the position.
The cashiers at KVIC allegedly wrote to the Prime Minister’s office claiming that Mr Saxena had pressured them into exchanging demonetised notes worth crores.
The BJP’s Leader of Opposition, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said in a statement that the party’s MLAs were forced to sit on the dharna because they were not heard in the assembly.
The BJP’s eight MLAs were barred from participating in the special session of the Delhi Assembly on Monday and Friday because they were being marched out.
The BJP also defended VK Saxena, claiming that AAP leaders are levelling corruption allegations against him “to exact revenge.”
The CBI had filed an FIR based on the LG’s recommendations in connection with alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government’s Excise Policy 2021-22.
The agency also raided Sisodia’s home, who also holds the excise portfolio and is a defendant in the case.
VK Saxena asked the Chief Secretary last week for a report on the delay of more than two and a half years in acting on a Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report on an inquiry into the construction of additional classrooms in Delhi government schools.
