'Why AAP going overboard to protect accused officer', asks Congress

With Delhi Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar's arrest by the CBI sending political temperature soaring in the national capital, the Congress on Monday lambasted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for going overboard to protect the accused officer.

The squabble between AAP-led Delhi Government and BJP-led Centre reached an altogether new level when the CBI arrested Rajendra Kumar and four others in connection with a corruption case.

Congress leader J. P. Aggarwal refrained from backing either the BJP or the AAP, but asked as to why Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was coming out in support of the accused.

"I can neither say that BJP is right nor can say that about AAP. What I cannot understand is why AAP is going overboard to protect this officer. They should have said that we do not tolerate corruption and the allegations should be answered by them (accused officer). The chief minister speaking on his behalf is something we cannot understand," Aggarwal told ANI.

Asserting that the corrupt should be punished, Aggarwal said that one cannot forget that BJP had tried to topple democratically elected governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia launched a tirade on the Centre over the issue and said it clearly indicated that the ruling dispensation has been trying to paralyse the Chief Minister's office, as they feared defeat at the hands of the AAP in the upcoming assembly polls.

Earlier, the CBI said Kumar was charged with misusing his official position to award contracts to M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd. and securing government tenders worth Rs. 9.5 crore between 2007 and 2014 for the company.

According to CBI sources, Kumar has emerged as the kingpin of the 50 crore scam which first started activity in 2006.

Kumar had moved an appeal before a special court in March this year seeking the release of his laptop, iPad and cash seized by the CBI.

A trial court had in April ordered the de-freezing of two bank accounts of M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd.

The Delhi High Court had then stayed the trial court's order allowing for de-freezing of accounts of M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd.

The CBI had in December last year raided Kumar's office at the Delhi Secretariat in connection with this case.