Sisodia slams Centre on transfer of Delhi officials

Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday slammed the central government for transferring government officials allegedly without consulting the Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital.

"The sordid business of transfers and postings, which we had stopped, has now been resumed and taken over by the Modi government," Sisodia told reporters here.

"Delhi Lieutenant Governor (Najeeb Jung), on the directions of the ministry of home affairs, transferred four officials of the Delhi government a few days back, including Value Added Tax commissioner Vijay Kumar, without even consulting the elected government of Delhi. This is not fair," he said.

The Delhi government on Thursday issued relieving orders of four IAS officers, including the VAT chief, three days after Jung ordered to relieve them of their duties.

"Kumar had tightened the noose around big, influential people who indulged in tax evasion in the capital city. There are great chances that Kumar was removed by the central government under pressure from some big lobby," Sisodia said.

The deputy chief minister said Kumar had recently raided the premises of a car dealer and also busted a racket of fake companies run from single-room offices in Janakpuri area of west Delhi.

Kumar also raided a big international restaurant chain that was allegedly evading tax.

He said there were chances that the racket in fake companies was linked with hawala trade.

"Just a few days after these raids, Kumar was transferred without consulting the Delhi government," Sisodia added.