ACB under pressure to save Sheila in tanker scam: Mishra

Alleging that the Centre of shielding former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the Rs 400-crore ‘water tanker scam’, Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra has demanded her immediate arrest. Mishra termed the Anti Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) Sunday’s action as a ‘mere formality’ and said that it appeared that Dikshit was ‘aunt’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Had the ACB gone there to have tea? Finally the ACB appeared in the courtroom of Sheila Dikshit to pay its respect. They stayed there for 20 minutes, had tea and handed over a list of 20 questions to her. She can reply as per her convenience,” said Mishra. 

He added the ACB was ‘under pressure’ to save Dikshit. “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Central government, which controls the ACB, is shielding Sheila Dikshit,” he said. In the recently concluded Assembly session, Mishra had accused the Central government of protecting Dikshit from various scams, including the water tanker scam. 

ACB sleuths on Sunday visited Dikshit’s residence in Nizamuddin and handed over a set of at least 20 questions in connection with the multi-crore tanker scam. She has been asked to reply to the queries in the next few days.

“I am the complainant in the case. The ACB had summoned me to its office and I was questioned for over four hours in the presence of over a dozen officials. There was cross-questioning and interrogation and I was made to sign a statement,” Mishra said in a statement.

“But on the other hand they did not call Dikshit. They, instead, went to her residence and did not conduct any interrogation. They stayed there for 20 minutes, had tea, handed over a list of questions and left,” the minister added. 

Mishra has been accusing the BJP of “shielding” Dikshit in the Rs 400-crore water tanker scam.

“This visit is a mere formality. Four cases of corruption are pending against Dikshit and still there is this kind of fear to act against her. The BJP is shielding her and the ACB is under pressure to save her,” he added. 

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had in June last year constituted a fact-finding committee to probe irregularities in procuring 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in 2012, when Dikshit was leading a Congress government in the Capital. 

The government had in June sent the fact-finding committee’s report on the scam to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, following which an FIR was registered in the matter.

The ACB had then said that they would question Dikshit in connection with allegations against her. Dikshit has all along been claiming that there was no corruption at all in procurement of tankers and that the allegations were ‘politically motivated’.