New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today attacked the BJP for seeking the resignation of Assembly Speaker Yoganand Shastri in the wake of "serious remarks" made against him by the Lokayukta in a case of alleged corruption even as the complaint was forwarded to the anti-graft body by Delhi Government.
In a statement in the Assembly, Dikshit said the BJP members have shown "great disrespect" to the Speaker by demanding his resignation on the basis of an "unverified report".
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V K Malhotra, in a letter to Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna yesterday, had sought resignation of the Speaker citing the Lokayukta`s observation against him in a complaint of alleged corruption and misuse of public funds.
The complaint against Shastri has been filed by former Secretary of Delhi Legislative Assembly Siddharth Rao in which he made allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds and amenities to the tune of several crores of rupees.
Shastri vehemently rejected all the allegations and claimed that Rao was trying to "blackmail" him.
Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin, in an order on Monday, had dismissed the
complaint against the Speaker for "want of jurisdiction" but brought it to the notice of the Lt Governor for "action as deemed fit" while terming the allegations as of "serious nature".
As per the Lokayukta order, the complaint was forwarded to the anti-graft watchdog by Additional Secretary (Vigilance) of Delhi Government.
Rejecting Dikshit`s criticism, Malhotra said if there was no substance in the complaint then why had the city government forwarded it to the Lokayukta. He said BJP will move a no confidence motion against the Speaker tomorrow.
"The complaint was forwarded to Lokayukta by the Delhi Government. If there was no substance in it then why the government had sent it to the Lokayukta?" Malhotra asked.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.