On the grounds of the Delhi assembly building, protests are being held by both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition BJP. Both parties are accusing the other of corruption, news agency ANI reported.
While the BJP MLAs started their sit-in beside the statues of illustrious independence fighters Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, and Sukhdev within the Delhi assembly grounds, the AAP MLAs set up camp beneath the Mahatma Gandhi monument.
The Delhi Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, is being called out by AAP MLAs for allegedly "whitening" the "black money" during demonetisation in 2016.
Speaking to ANI, AAP leader Atishi said that in 2016, while serving as the chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Saxena had forced his staff to swap demonetised notes worth Rs 1,400 crore.
"Saxena had done a scam to whiten black money during demonetisation worth Rs 1,400 crore in 2016 when he was Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Chairman. We are demanding the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate this matter," Atishi was quoted by ANI in its report.
She further asked that Saxena be fired from his position as Delhi's L-G.
"This is a blatant case of money laundering where a witness admitted that the black money was "whitened" while under the influence of Saxena. Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 should look into this. CBI and ED should also conduct a raid at every place Saxena has previously worked. He should be sacked from his position until the investigation is finished," AAP leader said.
In the meantime, BJP MLAs are calling for the resignation of Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi, due to corruption in the excise policy for 2021–2022.
Speaking with ANI, BJP MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri stated: "Sisodia was charged by the CBI with corruption in the 2021-22 excise policy which the AAP administration subsequently withdrew. There has been corruption in the cores in Delhi. If everything was fine with the policy, why did the government take it back? Arvind Kejriwal needs to respond."
"We want an explanation from Kejriwal about why he is running when there have been numerous scams where the Kejriwal administration has been accused of engaging in corruption," he asked.
In response to the AAP's protest and call for the resignation of L-G Saxena, another leader, BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, stated that it is nothing more than their fear of being caught in corruption.
"They are afraid because they were exposed as corrupt. Whether it be the Delhi Excise policy or the Delhi education, corruption has been committed. If there is a corrupt administration in the nation, it is the Kejriwal administration in Delhi. They write one screenplay each day in order to silence conversations about corruption," Gupta said.
Voting For No Confidence Motion Today
Earlier on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tabled a confidence motion in the Assembly, saying BJP's 'Operation Lotus' to poach AAP MLAs came a cropper as all legislators of the party were "hardcore honest". The voting on the motion will take place on Tuesday at 11 am after the Assembly session was adjourned amid an uproar over corruption allegations levelled by an AAP MLA against Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, PTI reported.
The AAP alleged that LG Saxena pressured his employees to exchange demonetised currency notes worth Rs 1,400 crore in 2016 when he was the chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
(With Inputs From ANI)