New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit today served a legal notice on city BJP chief Vijender
Gupta, asking him to tender an "unconditional apology" within
three days for alleging that she had ordered removal of
hoardings put up by the party across the capital to "expose"
the government on the ongoing power tariff issue.
In the notice, Dikshit also asked the BJP leader to
withdraw all "false allegations and derogatory statements"
made by him against her failing which he would face strict
legal action.
Yesterday, Gupta had alleged that the hoardings put up by
the party at 30 places, mainly at DTC bus stops, "to educate
people about exploitation being committed by power
distribution companies" were removed at the behest of the
Chief Minister.
BJP said it had paid money to concerned agencies to put
up the hoardings.
The BJP has been attacking Dikshit for stalling the
planned announcement of the annual power tariff by power
regulator DERC, apparently coming under pressure from the
private distribution companies who have been demanding a hike
in tariff.
The DERC, after receiving the Government order, had
indicated that it was planning for a substantial cut in tariff
as discoms were having healthy surpluses.
An official in the Chief Minister`s office said that the
Government did not give any order to remove the hoardings and
the BJP-ruled MCD had removed them for violating the outdoor
advertisement policy approved by the Supreme Court.
The official said the MCD had framed guidelines for
putting up hoardings and those guidelines were approved by the
Supreme Court.
Rejecting the allegations, a statement from Chief
Minister’s office said, Dikshit is held in "high esteem by
people of Delhi because of her untiring efforts to make Delhi
a better place to live as well as setting high standards of
integrity and moral conduct".
The statement said that the hoardings and advertisements
issued at the behest of Gupta are in fact part of a
"conspiracy to mislead people and besmirch the reputation of a
popular Chief Minister who has returned to power successively
three times."
Gupta has also been asked to disclose the names of his
"co-conspirators" in this slanderous campaign.
Two basic reasons were given for issuance of the notice
-- one the protection of high moral and ethical standards of
public discourse and secondly to vindicate the honour and
reputation which has been recklessly tarnished and maligned
for serving selfish political interests?.
As per the legal notice, served by Diskshit’s advocate
Mehmood Pracha, the allegations and actions of Gupta and other
conspirators constitute a penal offence under the provisions
of Indian Penal Code and are also actionable in Civil law as
court.
PTI
