AAP govt to pursue corruption charges against Sheila Dikshit, Mukesh Ambani, Veerappa Moily

New Delhi: Delhi's AAP government to be sworn in tomorrow will pursue allegations of corruption against ex-Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and industrialist Mukesh Ambani and others, Deputy Chief Minister-designate Manish Sisodia said on Friday. All the cases that were registered last year during Kejriwal government's 49-day stint "will be pursued", Sisodia said.

Sisodia, who had been asked whether the FIRs lodged by the AAP government last year against Mukesh Ambani, the then Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily as also allegations against Dikshit would be pursued, responded "yes, definitely".

The then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had ordered filing of an FIR on February 11 last year against Moily, his predecessor Murli Deora, who is dead now, and RIL Chief Mukesh Ambani for alleged collusion in hike of prices in natural gas from the KG basin. The then AAP government had also ordered a probe into street light purchase scam during the Commonwealth Games of 2010 in which Dikshit's role had come under the scanner.

Sisodia said the AAP government will "revive" the cases that have been put in cold storage and take them to a "logical conclusion". On its key poll promise of slashing power tariff by 50%, Sisodia said it would be done "as soon as possible".

Alleging wide-spread corruption in the power sector, Sisodia said the new government would force the power distribution companies to give all their financial details to the CAG that is probing their accounts. The CAG audit into the finances of the private power distribution companies was ordered by the Kejriwal government last year.

In its manifesto, AAP had promised to cut power tariff by 50% immediately after coming to power and said the rates will be revised based on the findings of the CAG audit. "CAG audit into the discoms is already going on. We will force them to give all the details to the CAG," Sisodia said.

Sisodia said the AAP government will also soon announce 20 kilolitres (20,000 litres) of free water to every household per month as per its promise. The previous AAP government had introduced the free water scheme but it was discontinued after it quit. "We will bring back the free water scheme which was discontinued after we quit the government as water is basic right," he said.

Asked how the new AAP government will tackle the 'VIP culture' of 'lal battis', he said "all the Ministers will ride ordinary cars".

"Not even the Chief Minister will use red-beacon or hooters on his official car. The AAP government will be a government of simplicity. The Ministers may avail government accomodation but not huge bungalows. They will take normal salary and will not travel with huge security contingents," he said.

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Maken's 'style' has not helped; Congress was demoralised: Sheila Dikshit

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit on Thursday said she 'pitied' Ajay Maken, who was the party's chief ministerial candidate for the recently held Delhi assembly polls, adding that his 'style' had not helped the grand old party.

"The signals that went from the Congress party did not inspire confidence. Although we didn't realise that we won't get even a single seat, it was clear from the beginning that we would lose badly. What can I say about Ajay Maken, except that I pity him," Dikshit told ANI. "He got the leadership and he took it... but quite obviously his style did not help the Congress,".

Spelling out the party's weaknesses, the former Delhi chief minister stated that the campaign by the Congress should have been aggressive.

"Ajay Maken was the chairman of the campaign committee; the campaign should have been aggressive. There was lack in our strategy, maybe in totality the Congress party was demoralised," Dikshit said.

"It is now Arvind Kejriwal's duty to fulfil all the 70 promises that he made," she added.

In an unprecedented first for the national capital, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party received 67 seats out of the 70 on offer in the Delhi polls. With this extraordinary mandate, the AAP has become the first non-Congress and non-BJP party to rule the city.

The Congress, which in power in Delhi for 15 years up to 2013 and had been trying to rebuild its lost ground in the city, failed to even open its account in the polls.

The BJP, which was relying heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and had brought in former IPS officer Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate to counter Kejriwal, also managed to secure just three seats. 

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