Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In a big relief to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, whose name figures in the CAG report on CWG scam, the Congress party on Saturday said there was no need for the Delhi Chief Minister to step down.
Congress sources said the party would not take any action against Dikshit just on the basis of the CAG report. Sources added a decision on her future would be taken only after PAC examines the report or if any investigating agency takes action against the popular chief minister.
The Congress party, sources said, does not want a repeat of the Ashok Chavan episode by asking Sheila Dikshit to resign.
Chavan was asked to step down as Maharashtra chief minister after his name figured in the Adarsh Housing Society scam. However, Congress sources said that decision was taken under pressure and dubbed it a mistake.
The party maintained that Dikshit has not been indicted in the CAG report.
Meanwhile, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said when Karanataka CM BS Yeddyurappa could be removed (after being named in the Lokayukta report on mining scam), why not Sheila Dikshit?
The CAG report, which was tabled in the Parliament yesterday, had pointed fingers at the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office for massive irregularities. The report said that the street-scaping project carried out by Delhi government was ill-conceived, ill-planned and caused wasteful expenditure of Rs 101 crore.
The report also found loopholes in the implementation of the street lighting project in the capital, and said the decision with regard to the project was taken with the active involvement of the chief minister and resulted in avoidable expenditure of more than Rs 30 crore.
The CAG has found irregularities in the purchase of low-floor buses, construction of bus shelters and the light panels on the buses.
Dikshit yesterday refused to take the blame for the alleged irregularities and said her government will cooperate with the parliamentary panel which will examine the CAG report.
"I assure you that when the CAG report goes to the (Public Accounts Committee) PAC whatever departments are asked to come and answer any queries, we will cooperate with them completely and fully," Dikshit told reporters.
The CAG had pointed a direct finger at the Prime Minister’s Office also, saying Suresh Kalmadi was appointed the chairman of the CWG Organising Committee on PMO’s recommendation.
Speaking at a press conference after the tabling of its report on CWG scam in the Parliament, CAG Vinod Rai said, “Suresh Kalmadi was appointed CWG OC Chairman on PMO recommendation of December 2004 despite objections from then Sports Minister.”
The CAG also said that Kalmadi worked in a near-autocratic manner, like a parallel government, without any accountability to the state and overwhelmingly controlled the Organising Committee.
First Published: Saturday, August 06, 2011, 13:35