New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday accused the BJP of filing "frivolous" complaints to stall the work being done by AAP in the capital and alleged that Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was "bulldozing the law" to favour the saffron party.
Sisodia's comments came days after the L-G gave his nod to the Anti-Corruption Branch to probe allegations of irregularities in the construction of seven temporary hospitals here during the Covid pandemic.
The senior Aam Aadmi Party leader alleged that Saxena has "kept all laws and norms aside" to order the ACB probe based on fake complaints provided by BJP leaders.
"We are a hardcore honest government and we are not scared of any investigation. The BJP is filing such complaints to stop the work being carried out by the Delhi government in various sectors.
"This is an old complaint of 2021 and former L-G Anil Baijal had dismissed it. However, the new L-G has given a nod to probe the matter," Sisodia claimed during a media briefing.
Under whose pressure has the new L-G approved this investigation based on a year-old complaint when Anil Baijal had adjudged the same complaint to be "frivolous and baseless", he asked.
"I also want to ask the Delhi LG as to why he thinks that the decision made by the then LG is incorrect and needs to be re-looked? "You are bulldozing the law only to favour the BJP," a Delhi government statement, issued after the media briefing, quoting Sisodia alleged.
Sisodia urged Saxena to not go by the BJP's complaints and ask for complaints of corruption from the general public.
"Please follow due procedure but do not put obstacles in government's work," Sisodia said.
BJP MP from northeast Delhi Manoj Tiwari, who had complained about the matter, had alleged the Arvind Kejriwal government had passed tenders worth Rs 1,216 crore for the construction seven temporary hospitals, which was later raised to Rs 1,256 crore.
"I am reiterating that we are not afraid of any investigation, but you (L-G) have to follow the legal procedure," the deputy CM said.
Sisodia also wrote a letter to the L-G and claied that after facing humiliating defeat, the BJP wants to obstruct the excellent work taking place in Delhi.
In the letter, the AAP leader said Tiwari in the past too had made "frivolous" complaints about major infrastructure works in the education sector and had levelled allegations of corruption against him but officers concerned could not produce proof.
"When I filed defamation case against him in the court, he (Tiwari) could not produce a single piece of evidence and became defensive. To derail healthcare infrastructure projects, the BJP is now making malicious and frivolous complaints," Sisodia alleged in the letter.
Sisodia accused the L-G of "not following the due procedure" and forwarding a "false" complaint, which was dismissed by the his predecessor, to the Anti-Corruption Branch to "obstruct" Delhi government works at BJP's behest.