In response to "extremely defamatory and baseless" claims of corruption against him, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena today vowed to sue Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) officials, including MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj.
When Mr. Saxena served as the head of a government Khadi board during the 2016 demonetization, the AAP claims that he forced two staffers to exchange prohibited bank notes worth Rs. 1,400 crore.
The AAP accusation was rejected by Mr. Saxena as a "figment of their imagination." According to Mr. Saxena, when it was discovered that "some demonetized notes were placed in the account of Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan," a vigilance probe was launched. Four officials were placed on leave.
When the CBI intervened, it discovered that only two of the personnel were responsible for the deposit of 17,07,000 in prohibited notes. According to the Lieutenant Governor's office, the case is still ongoing in court.
Following the Lt Governor's criticism of the AAP government's Delhi liquor policy for what he called corruption, tensions grew. On the basis of a report from the Lt. Governor, the CBI conducted a raid and charged Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi, along with 14 other people. According to Mr. Saxena's office, Jasmine Shah, the deputy chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, would also face legal action.