Kapil Mishra launches countdown website in water tanker scam

Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra, who has been demanding the arrest of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit in connection with a water tanker scam, on Monday sought to pressure the central government into taking an action by launching a countdown website "nojailnomooch.com".

"One month has almost passed and one more is to go. They (central government and the ACB) should either get Sheila Dikshit arrested or Vijender Gupta will have to shave his moustache off," Mishra told reporters.

Mishra has named website "nojailnomooch.com" (if there is no jail, there should be no moustache) to target Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijender Gupta, who has been at the forefront of the BJP's attack on the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over alleged inaction into the scam.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had taken a dig at Gupta in Delhi Assembly on June 13 after his government sent a fact-finding report on the scam to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung.

"Vijender keeps his word. On behalf of Vijender, I (Arvind Kejriwal) assure the House that if Sheila Dikshit doesn't go to jail within two months, then Vijender will shave his moustache off," Kejriwal had said.

Gupta had attacked the AAP government in the assembly for delaying action in the scam after a fact-finding committee gave its report in the tanker scam in 2015.

The countdown website contains a video which has Kejriwal's remarks on Gupta made in the assembly.

The AAP government in June 2015 constituted a five-member fact-finding committee to probe the irregularities in hiring of around 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board in 2012 during Dikshit's rule.

The report submitted to Kejriwal in August 2015 highlighted corruption of Rs 400 crore in the process of awarding tenders for hiring water tankers, and recommended filing of an FIR against Dikshit and a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).

The ACB, which is now controlled by the central government, registered an FIR against Kejriwal and his predecessor Dikshit on June 20 in connection with the scam.

The FIR against Kejriwal was registered on Gupta's complaint "for causing delay in the probe and not cancelling the contract for water tankers".

Earlier this month Mishra sought filing of an FIR against Jung and Meena on charges of delaying action against Dikshit in four corruption cases.

--IANS

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