The CBI Wednesday registered two preliminary enquiries (PEs) — one against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the other against Saumya Jain, daughter of Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain. While the PE against Sisodia was registered in connection with alleged irregularities in AAP government’s social media campaign ‘Talk to AK’, the one against Saumya Jain was registered in connection with her appointment as in-charge of the Delhi government’s mohalla clinic project.
Both the PEs have been registered based on complaints filed by the Vigilance Department of the Delhi government. The cases were referred to the CBI by former Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, based on the Shunglu Committee report. As many as seven cases of irregularities were referred to the CBI by Jung. Of these, the CBI has registered two FIRs and three PEs till now.
The CBI is also probing five cases of alleged irregularities in the AAP government. These include two FIRs against alleged anomalies in the Delhi Waqf Board when AAP legislator Amanatullah Khan was chairman and appointment of Nikunj Aggarwal as a senior resident in government hospital and later as officer on special duty to health minister Jain.
Besides, the CBI had earlier registered another PE in connection with the creation of a “feedback unit” in the Delhi vigilance directorate to gather information on how the city’s government departments were performing.
These irregularities were reportedly found when a Jung-appointed panel went through more than 400 files of the Kejriwal government. That was done to check whether all decisions by the government were in accordance with the law.
On the lines of the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat, Chief Minister last year held interactive sessions with people through social media, phone calls and text messages, calling it the ‘Talk to AK’ initiative. But the initiative came under the scanner after the then finance principal secretary, Dharmendra Kumar, objected to the process of hiring an advertising agency to promote the programme.
The Vigilance Department complaint too flagged the issue. The complaint alleged that a consultant of a well-known public relations company was hired by the Delhi government to promote the ‘Talk to AK’ campaign and a proposal of Rs 1.5 crore was prepared for this purpose.
It alleged that despite objections from the Principal Secretary, the government went ahead with the proposal and the consultant spent the money, thereby creating a liability for the government. Official sources said the CBI is looking into the alleged role of Sisodia and others in the case.
In response to the development, Sisodia tweeted, “Welcome Modiji. Take the challenge. I will wait for your CBI at my home and office tomorrow morning.”