By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Sharpening its attacks on the Modi government over alleged corruption, Aam Aadmi Party on Monday demanded the dismissal of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena for allegedly engaging in 1,400 crore money laundering scam during the time of the demonetization as well as egregious power abuse in his role as the Chairman of the Khadi Commission
Addressing the media persons, AAP Senior Leader and MLA Atishi alleged that the Delhi LG, V Saxena was busy turning his black money to white during the demonetisation period when the entire country was waiting in lines day and night.
“When the whole country was standing in lines all day all night during demonetisation, Delhi LG Vinai Saxena was busy converting his black money to white. As a chairman of Khadi Gramodyog, he put pressure on the cashiers of Khadi stores all over India to get his old unaccounted currency exchanged for new. Two Khadi Village Industries cashiers testified against him.”
Why wasn’t an investigation ordered against him? She asked.
AAP demands the Union Government and the CBI to get a thorough investigation done in Saxena’s 1,400 crore scam. This is a clear case of money laundering; the Enforcement Directorate (ED) must initiate a probe and raid his offices-residences, she said.
“How can a man who has scammed this nation of 1,400 crore during a tough time like demonetisation be allowed to occupy the prestigious post of the Delhi LG? Saxena should be sacked from his post till the CBI-ED investigates the matter,” she added.
According to her, AAP MLA, Durgesh Pathak presented startling facts about the LG’s alleged corruption in the Delhi assembly today. These facts are of grave concern to the entire nation, not just the residents of Delhi. The Union Government implemented demonetisation on November 9, 2016, and the entire nation is aware of this. The entire nation was affected economically deeply and protractedly. Millions of people across the nation were forced to spend hours waiting in lines only to convert the funds they had at home. Many people lost their lives as a result of waiting in lines for longer than 12 hours at a time. Numerous shops and trades were closed. So many people experienced job losses.
“These facts only apply to one KVIC branch, and the cashiers there confirmed that Rs 22 lakhs were laundered during demonetisation,” she continued. In the country, there are more than 7,000 Khadigram Udyog outlets. This scandal is about Rs 1,400 crores when we calculate the whole cash that has been laundered throughout the entire country. When the CBI began looking into this case, inquiries were conducted into the officials in positions beneath his own, but the chairman, against whom the two cashiers provided testimony, was not included in the probe.
An FIR should be registered by the ED. And as per CBI-ED procedure, his current office & residence, his previous office & residence should be raided. Only then it can be ascertained if he has suppressed any evidence implicating him of money laundering, she said.