NEW DELHI: Facing a relentless attack from the Aam Aadmi Party, which has accused him of corruption and money laundering, lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Thursday said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was resorting to “diversionary tactics and false accusations in desperation”. In a series of tweets, the lieutenant governor said he had flagged various governance issues and expected the chief minister to address those in the “right spirit”. “Unfortunately, the response has been nothing but subterfuge amounting to defence of the indefensible and an abusive personal attack on me,” said Saxena in one of his tweets. The relationship between the elected government of AAP and the LG’s office has dipped to an all-time low since the latter recommended a CBI investigation into alleged “gross and deliberate procedural lapses” in formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 in July this year. AAP last week alleged that Saxena, during his tenure as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Corporation, got demonetised currency worth Rs 1,400 crore exchanged with new notes in 2016 by pressuring employees, adding that Rs 22 lakh was exchanged in the Delhi branch alone. LG rejects demand for sacking, says he will not be ‘deterred’ AAP has claimed that LG Vinai Kumar Saxena got demonetised currency worth Rs 1,400 crore exchanged with new notes in 2016 by pressuring employees, adding that Rs 22 lakh was exchanged in the Delhi branch alone. The party said that there were 7,000 such branches across the country and hence the scam involved was Rs 1,400 crore. The party has been demanding Saxena’s removal as the LG of Delhi and a CBI investigation against him. The LG’s office, however, had responded to the allegations by saying the matter was probed by the CBI and the agency has already filed a chargesheet against two accused KVIC employees and the matter was pending in a Rouse Avenue court in Delhi. “An FIR was registered by the CBI on September 10, 2017 against the two accused. The CBI found that only Rs 17,07,000 was deposited in the form of demonetised currency notes in the account of Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan, New Delhi, instead of Rs 22,17,000, as reported by the CVO,” the LG office’s note said. Officials of the LG secretariat said on Wednesday that Saxena has also decided to initiate legal action against AAP leaders for “false and defamatory” charges levelled at him. Taking to Twitter, the LG also asked the CM to “explain to the people his art of converting Rs 17 lakhs, ascertained by the CBI as the value of the demonetised currency exchanged by two employees of Khadi Bhawan Delhi, into Rs 1,400 Cr as claimed by AAP”. Saxena said he was “abiding by the Constitution” and his “duties towards the people of Delhi” when he flagged the issues of “grave anomalies” in the contentious excise policy, two and a half years of delay in acting on a CVC report on “irregularities in construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools”, files not being signed by the chief minister, state universities not getting CAG audits done, cabinet notes reaching him after the meetings and non-availability of water in foreign missions, among others. “I called for good governance, zero tolerance to corruption and better services for the people of Delhi. But, unfortunately, Hon’ble CM @ArvindKejriwal Ji in desperation has resorted to diversionary tactics and false accusations,” the LG said in one of his tweets. Referring to the demand for his sacking, the LG said he will “under no circumstances” be “deterred” from his constitutional duties. “My commitment to improving the lives of the people of Delhi remains unwavering,” the LG tweeted.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/i-flagged-governance-issues-cm-arvind-kejriwal-is-diverting-attention-lg-vk-saxena/articleshow/93936990.cms