CCTV project row: Maken 'spreading new lie', claims AAP

AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj today claimed that Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken was "spreading a new lie" by saying that the Delhi government has "compromised national security" by giving the contract of installing 1.5 lakh CCTV cameras in the city to a Chinese company.

The AAP leader claimed that the BJP and the Congress both were creating hindrances in the work of CCTV cameras and they do not want CCTVs to be installed in Delhi.

Bhardwaj was responding to the claim of Maken that the Chinese government-run Hikvision was included in the vendor list of the Defence Ministry's firm Bharat Electronics (BEL) which was "dangerous" for the security of the country.

"Ajay Maken is spreading a new lie now. He is claiming that in November, tender of CCTV was cancelled to favour camera firm called Hikvision. In January 2018, when Hikvision signed the deal with BEL, Delhi government gave tender to BEL in order to favour Hikvision," the AAP spokesperson said.

"However, reality is BEL in both its tenders was taking cameras of Hikvision. And there is no Ministry of Home Affairs clearance required for using these cameras as they have an Indian subsidiary company like all other MNCs," he said.

During the day, Maken said in a press conference, "Our direct allegation is that due to petty corruption, the Arvind Kejriwal government compromised with the national security by giving contract for installing 1.5 lakh CCTV cameras in Delhi to Hikvision, which is a Chinese central government company."