'Kejriwal and Corruption Synonymous, Has No Right to Remain CM': BJP After Bus Contract Row

The BJP on Sunday alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and corruption have become synonymous and said he has no right to remain in the post.

At a press conference on the alleged irregularities in the purchase of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation, BJP’s national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged each department of the AAP government is involved in corrupt activities with “contracts and tenders being tailor-made to benefit the friends of Kejriwal”.

“First, it was the excise policy, now there are irregularities in the purchase of buses Kejriwal and corruption have become synonymous”. “How can you claim to be ‘hardcore honest’? People have understood you are ‘hardcore corrupt’… You have no right to remain in the chair of the chief minister,” the BJP leader said.

He said Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot was made the chairman of the committee for tendering and procurement of buses by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) “with the intention of giving benefits to friends”. The appointment of DIMTS as a bid management consultant for this tender was done to facilitate wrongdoing, Bhatia alleged.

The BJP spokesperson said the AAP has not responded to “charges of irregularities”, but raised another unrelated issue to divert attention.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta, who also addressed the press conference, alleged the Kejriwal government violated tender rules and guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission to favour some companies.

“Kejriwal doesn’t believe in CVC, his only motive is DCC direct cash collection,” he alleged. On Saturday, Delhi LG V K Saxena approved a proposal to forward a complaint to the CBI to probe the alleged corruption in the procurement of the buses.

A complaint addressed to Saxena in June this year had claimed that the appointment of the Minister of Transport as the chairman of the committee for tendering and procurement of buses by Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was done in a “premeditated manner”. The complaint had alleged irregularities in a July 2019 procurement bid for 1,000 low-floor BS-IV and BS-VI buses and another bid made in March 2020 for the purchase and annual maintenance contract for low floor BS-VI buses, the sources said.

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