'Intelligent' Kejriwal protecting 'corrupt officer': Venkaiah Naidu

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was protecting his Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar who is facing graft charges, and added that even social activist Anna Hazare has questioned the anti-corruption crusader for not checking on the antecedents of his Principal Secretary.

"Even Anna Hazare has said that the chief minister should have taken care before selecting his principal secretary. I am really surprised, as Arvind Kejriwal is an intelligent person, Why is he protecting someone who is facing charges? Moreover, he is trying to make it a Centre and state issue which it is not," Naidu told the media here.

"There is no need to respond to useless allegations. It is absurd that you make allegations against the Finance Minister of India. They want to divert from the main issues. We are not in favour of corrupt officers. Let the law take its own course," he added.

Principal Secretary to Delhi Chief Minister, Rajendra Kumar who has been accused for criminal conspiracy and has a case registered against him was questioned today morning by the CBI.

He has been accused of setting up various companies to give work contracts without tenders which has resulted in a huge loss to the Delhi government.

Kumar was questioned by the CBI for about seven hours late last night after the probe agency sleuths raided his Delhi Secretariat office on Tuesday.

Kumar has been booked under Sections of IPC on charges of criminal conspiracy and under various Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly favouring a private company in five contracts worth 9.5 crore rupees during 2007 to 2014.

The CBI carried out searches at 14 places connected with Kumar in the national capital, including his residence, and various locations in Uttar Pradesh.