CBI raids: BJP says Kejriwal suffers from ‘Modi-phobia’; agency finds 14 whisky bottles, slaps another FIR
The knives are out, sharper and angrier. After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using probe agency CBI to “intimidate” him and his government by searching the office of Delhi Principal Secretary in an alleged corruption case, the BJP has come out will all guns blazing, accusing Kejriwal of “Modi-phobia” and hypocrisy.
“I’m telling you Modiji, you may have scared others but I’m not among those who can be intimidated. I’ll fight till my last breath.”
“When Modi couldn’t handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice,” Kejriwal said.
“Modi is a coward and psychopath (sic),” he tweeted. BJP hit back with Venkaiah Naidu saying Kejriwal suffers from “Modi-phobia” and Arun Jaitley dismissed Kejriwal’s comments as “rubbish.” The CBI has registered a corruption case against Rajender Kumar on the allegation that “during 2007-2014 he abused his official position to favour a private company Endeavour Systems. The investigating agency has claimed that foreign currency worth over Rs. 3 lakh and cash worth Rs. 2.4 lakh was found during a raid at Mr Kumar’s residence.
Naidu also said Kejriwal’s reaction to the raid reflects“hypocrisy at its worst.” Naidu reminded Kejriwal of his party’s resolution that no prior permission from the government should be required for raiding an officer charged with corruption. In the case of bureaucrat Rajendra Kumar, Naidu said the CBI acted on a 2007 complaint.
The Indian Express reports that the CBI claims Kejriwal’s office has not been searched. “Reports from certain quarters regarding search at Delhi CM’s office are completely baseless,” said Devpreet Singh, CBI spokesperson. Delhi government employees have a very different version.
Rajender Kumar “not cooperating”
The Hindu reports that CBI may seek custodial interrogation of the accused IAS official Rajender Kumar because he is “not co-operating.”
“The case has been registered under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13(2) (criminal misconduct) read with Section 13(1)(d) (abuse of official position) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Mr. Kumar, a 1989-batch IAS official and Principal Secretary to the Delhi Chief Minister, has been named an accused,” reports The Hindu.
CBI sources have alleged that between 2007 to 2014, the IAS official helped Endeavour Systems bag contracts worth about Rs. 9.5 crore.
“14 bottles of whisky, it’s above the limit”
The Indian Express reports that the CBI team found 14 bottles of liquor — two bottles of Blue Label, three bottles of Black Label, five bottles of Chivas Regal, a bottle each of Glenfiddich and Black Dog and two bottles of Teacher’s during the raid. “According to the rules of the Delhi Excise Act, anyone can keep bottles of liquor up to 9 litres. What was recovered was above the permissible limit.” CBI sources told the newspaper.
Who said what
“His (Kejriwal’s) statement is absolutely rubbish. I don’t think I should comment on rubbish.”
Background: Mr Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that there were financial irregularities when Mr Jaitley was the president of the DDCA or Delhi and District Cricket Association for 13 years till December, 2013.
“Which file was CBI looking for in my office? DDCA files in which Arun Jaitley is in dock. I was about to order a commission of enquiry.” Kejriwal on the raid.
“Kejriwal should tender an unqualified apology to the Prime Minister for using words like coward. What he said is uncalled for, unwarranted, shameful and condemnable,” said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Mr Jaitley and Mr Prasad asserted that Mr Kejriwal’s office had “not been touched” by the CBI in the raid at the Delhi government’s headquarters.
The Delhi Chief Minister dismissed as a “lie” the CBI and the government’s assertion that the raid targeted not him but Rajender Kumar – Kejriwal’s Principal Secretary, who has been accused of corruption.
“I want to tell Modi Ji. You may have scared others but I am not going to be scared of CBI, You don’t know what I am made of.” Arvind Kejriwal.
CBI’s Devpreet Singh said the agency confirmed the allegations through its own sources before filing a case on charges of criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The others booked in the case include two then managing directors of Intelligent Communication System India Limited (ICSIL) A.K. Duggal and G.K. Nanda, present managing director of ICSIL R.S. Kaushik and two directors of Endeavour Systems Private Limited Sandeep Kumar and Dinesh Kumar Gupta.
“While working as director education, Rajendra associated with Sandeep and Dinesh,” the CBI official said.
She said Rajendra, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, allegedly facilitated an award of five contracts worth Rs 9.5 crore to ICSIL and Endeavour Systems during 2007-2014.
Without any government tendering process, Rajendra, who was then working as chairman of Delhi Transco Limited, allegedly facilitated an award of contract worth Rs 40.16 lakh to Endeavour Systems for the development of a comprehensive management information system in 2009, the official said.
“As a secretary in the health and family welfare department of the Delhi government, Rajendra allegedly awarded a Rs 2.43 crore manpower project in the health ministry to Endeavour Systems through ICSIL in November 2010. This tender was also not passed by the government,” the official said.
Working as commissioner in trade and taxes department, Rajendra in May 2012 facilitated a project award of Rs 3.66 crore to Endeavour Systems through ICSIL for the development of software applications, the official said.
Rajendra, as a secretary of information and technology in the Delhi government, allowed a facility management system project worth Rs 45.5 lakh to Endeavour Systems in July 2013 without any government tender.
“As a secretary to Delhi CM, Rajendra ensured and allegedly facilitated a project of enterprise resources planning of Delhi Jal Board worth Rs 2.46 crore to Endeavour Systems in June 2014. This project was given to ICSIL by the Delhi Jal Board in February 2014 through a proper tendering process,” the official said.
The official earlier said documents related to three immovable properties along with cash were recovered from Rajendra’s residence.
The agency said it also recovered Rs 2.4 lakh and an additional Rs 3 lakh in foreign currency from Rajendra’s house.
The CBI said Rajendra was not cooperating with it in opening his email accounts.
It said another Rs 10.5 lakh was recovered from GK Nanda, who the probe agency claimed was a co-accused with Rajendra in a case of corruption.
