New Delhi: The raid on the office and residence of Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has further raised the political temperature of the national capital that was already reeling under incessant parliamentary disruptions.
What is surprising is the language that the Delhi Chief Minister has used for the Prime Minister of the country.
“Modi is a coward and a psychopath,” tweeted Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of resorting to cowardice as he could not tackle him politically.
Political acrimonies and disputes are not new to democracies. In fact, difference of opinion is considered to be the beauty of democracy but can we accept this kind of name-calling? Has Kejriwal forgotten the fact that just a few weeks ago, he was cursing the Modi-led government for encouraging what he called ‘intolerance'? Is the blatant use of intemperate language not the manifestation of same ‘intolerance' that he so vociferously objected to?
But the most important question that he needs to be asked is this - how can he be so sure and confident of his principal secretary's innocence? Does he need to be reminded that he had to eat his words in the fake degree case of Jitender Singh Tomar?
Arvind Kejriwal had made similar allegations of ‘political vendetta' against Modi government when Jitendra Singh Tomar, one of his cabinet ministers, was accused of possessing fake educational degrees. When the courts refused to offer any relief to Tomar, an embarrassed Kejriwal immediately distanced himself from Tomar who was later sent to jail on charges of forgery. Has Kejriwal not learnt any lessons from Tomar episode?
Coming to the present case, Kejriwal has alleged that the CBI raided his own office which has been denied by both the CBI spokesperson as well as the Finance Minister Arun Jailtley on the floor of the parliament.
Those who are familiar with the working of the CBI have pointed out that no law bars the investigation agency from raiding the office of a bureaucrat if the charges levelled against that officer are grave in nature.
Interestingly, Kejriwal has pointed out that he should have been informed and taken into confidence by the CBI before raiding the office of his principal secretary. What is ironic is that it was the same Kejriwal who had welcomed 2014 verdict of the Supreme court that said that the CBI didn't require any prior permission from government to prosecute an officer of the rank of joint secretary and above before persecuting him.
“The court has held that such a provision requiring the CBI to take government permission is also discriminatory in as much as the same corruption can also be investigated by the State Police which does not require any such prior permission. This will now free the CBI to investigate scores of corruption cases which are held up due to the non grant of permission by the government,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had said in an official statement.
Arvind Kejriwal and his party should clarify whether they have changed their position on the Supreme Court verdict.
Kejriwal should not forget that charges levelled against his principal secretary are serious in nature and have been made by another senior bureaucrat Ashish Joshi.
Joshi has accused Kumar of misusing his position and power during the Congress rule by forming Endeavours Systems Pvt Ltd, a private company, getting it empanelled with public sector undertakings and pushing for contracts without proper tenders being issued.
Kejriwal became a house-hold name in India for his relentless crusade against corruption. Today, the ‘Aam Aadmi' finds it difficult to fathom why he is so desperate to defend an officer who has been accused of serious wrong-doings?
Let CBI probe the entire matter and the courts pronounce the verdict. This is what Arvind Kejriwal always advocated for and he would do a world of good to probity in public life if he sticks to his original stand.
