Jasmine Shah accuses L-G of targeting him in calculated manner
New Delhi: AAP leader Jasmine Shah on Saturday accused Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena of “targeting” him after he was removed as a government nominee to a discom board.
Shah and three other AAP government-appointed nominees to the boards of three power discoms in the national capital were removed from their posts by an order of the Power department on Friday, following the lieutenant governor’s directions.
Shah dismissed charges that the government nominees benefitted the private discoms to the tune of over Rs 8,000 crore through lowering of late payment surcharge from 12 per cent to 8 per cent as was claimed by sources at the lieutenant governor’s office.
“The allegation of causing financial loss made by the L-G against me is laughable, complete nonsense, slanderous and without a shred of evidence,” Shah said in a statement.
The lieutenant governor is “abusing his high constitutional office,” Shah alleged.
“Every single day he is doing this to do BJP’s bidding with complete disregard to constitutional norms and SC judgments. He has no powers to remove Delhi government appointed directors on the boards of discoms,” he alleged. Shah alleged that he was being “personally targeted” by the lieutenant governor in a “calculated and pre-meditated manner”.
The L-G had earlier directed removal of Shah as the vice chairman of the Delhi government’s think tank Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) and his office was sealed on a complaint of BJP MP Parvesh Verma that he used to hold the post despite appearing on news channels as an AAP spokesperson.
Shah said, “I would only like to ask the L-G what is my fault? That I am a young, educated professional holding degrees from IIT Madras and Columbia University who dared to sacrifice his career to serve people of my country under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal?”
He claimed that a study had shown that senior officers as government nominees on discoms boards “did not contribute anything to the discoms and often skipped” its meetings.
Further, Shah claimed the three discoms in the national capital have emerged as India’s top-ranked discoms with one of the lowest transmission and distribution losses and reliable, round-the-clock supply of electricity.
