Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi: Nepotism and Corruption going hand in hand, reveals an Analysis

October 12, 2016: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is known for his fascination to rant, swear and often slur in private and sometimes also in public. Many who work closely with him reported his temperament as high-strung and also melodramatic. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) colleague Ashutosh, notes about Kejriwal in the book, The Crown Prince, The Gladiator and The Hope saying, 'He started to say something, but could not complete. He broke down and as tears fell unheeded, he crumbled to the floor,' Biographies or declassified tapes underline his high drama and emotion that characterizes almost every moment of Delhi CM. The analysis has been done by Open Magazine.

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Tried to make a detective agency

In early 2015, he began to put up a team comprising of serving as well as retired officials of the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Police, and many other agencies by offering them secret funds, with the intention of running a body of sleuths that would be working in parallel with Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).This whole effort was kept under wraps and made totally without the required approval of Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Delhi.

His fate was sealed when the transcripts of a recorded phone call to his Chief of Staff was out. It brought into light the unseemly extent to which the government of Delhi went, so as to install a secret service division which would be under the control of just one man, that is, Kejriwal.

Spy equipment and hiring too

On April 1, 2015, Delhi government cabinet took a decision to strengthen ACB by creating 259 new posts adding to the existing 116 posts. The meeting also proposed to raise secret service fund of Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. Along with this, the decision was made to hire technical experts from the accounts, engineering, income tax, revenues and legal departments.

According to Open magazine, the officials they spoke to said, "the office of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung discovered the unit's existence only as late as August. Evidently, the cabinet decision to create such a unit had not been approved— as required—by the L-G, and in the process, the ruling party has come under sharp attack by bureaucrats for reportedly eavesdropping on them and others with mala fide intentions. Arvind Kejriwal didn't respond to queries emailed to him by Open."

"The grand plan also envisaged the procurement of 68 vehicles, 70 mobile phones with accessories, 75 computers, and 22 printers, apart from other durables, besides high-end equipment for data and research analysis and surveillance and monitoring purposes."

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Riotously left behind in the massive corruption

AAP leaders do not always practice as they loudly preach. Say, the party thrown by the Delhi government so as to celebrate its first anniversary at the Chief Minister's official residence. The twin events on 11 and 12 February at his residence had catering arrangements which were made by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC).

Documents in possession of Open confirm, "The cost of the buffets was billed at a monstrously steep Rs 12,000 per plate. This is far in excess of the ceiling for state-borne expenses for such functions. The maximum permissible amount the government can spend is Rs 2,500 per plate for dinners hosted in five-star and other luxury hotels, with an overall ceiling of Rs 4.5 lakh per event. DTTDC was later asked to offer discounts and raise a new bill. The first bill was Rs 11.04 lakh for twin lunches. The revised bill totalled Rs 9.9 lakh."

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Hiring security guards big embezzlement

The government of Delhi also hired a huge number of security guards and at high salaries in state-run hospitals, saying that doctors have been lately vulnerable to attacks by the angry relatives of the patients who could not be saved, and many other such odd reasons.The payments of the new guards were decided unanimously by agencies- Knightwatch, Innovision and SIS India.

The trio included a bonus of 8.33 per cent and also a gratuity of 4.81 per cent of the basic minimum wage, whereas such benefits are usually given to the staff members that too only after at least six months of service.

-by NewsGram team