New Delhi: Ahead of the Delhi Assembly’s Monsoon session, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today feared an “attack” on house committees by the Centre for “targeting” corruption in government departments.
“The House Committees and the Delhi government are two different entities and the role of the former is the make the latter more accountable,” AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is also the chairman of the Petition’s Committee said in a Facebook Live.
He further added that the responsibility of an MLA is towards his electors and if the government is not able to “discharge” its duties then the house committees have to fix the accountability.
In an informal discussion with reporters at the party office last month, two senior AAP leader had said that the Delhi government will use the Assembly “route” to make its officers more accountable.
Attacking the Centre, Bharadwaj said it has the “track record” to “leash” Delhi government’s attempt to counter corruption.
“Looking at the Centre’s track record, it appears that its next attack would be on these House Committees,” said senior AAP leader Atishi Marlena, who was also a part of the Facebook Live.
Bharadwaj also alleged that the BJP leaders have been openly giving statements, advocating disbanding these committees.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta has alleged that the government was adopting “unconstitutional measures” and “repressing” the opposition as well as senior government officials.
Gupta had also said he would also raise the issue of House Committees in the monsoon session, starting tomorrow, and questioned their way of functioning.
The Delhi Legislative Assembly has formed several House Committees to “ensure” accountability of the government officers.
In the past two months, the Committee on Petitions had summoned PWD Secretary Ashwani Kumar as well as Delhi Chief Secretary M M Kutty and Health Secretary Madhup Vyas to discuss the status of desilting of drains under the Public Works Department (PWD) and supply of medicines in government hospitals respectively.
The panel on desilting of drains also recommended divesting Kumar of his responsibilities as the PWD and Vigilance secretary and asked Kutty to submit an action taken report to the House within a month.
–PTI