DTC bus procurement: Delhi BJP accuses Kejriwal of diverting attention

The BJP on Sunday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his tweet which cited a news story on a "clean chit" given to his government in the alleged irregularities in DTC bus procurement, saying a CBI probe is underway.

BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, who had raised the matter of alleged corruption in DTC bus procurement and maintenance contracts, charged Kejriwal of creating an alibi for his government.

"The news story tweeted by Kejriwal was dated back to July 10, 2021. It was aimed at diverting attention from the ongoing CBI probe into the alleged corruption in DTC bus procurement and maintenance contracts," Gupta claimed in a press conference.

Gupta stated he was even called by the CBI on January 27 to record his statement in a complaint lodged by him in the case.

"Chief Minister Kejriwal tried to hide facts by tweeting a source-based news, which has no basis today as the matter is already under investigation," the BJP leader said.

The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry over allegations of alleged corruption in the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi government, officials said on Sunday.

The enquiry was registered on a reference of the Union Home Ministry, they said.

The Delhi government had refuted the "allegations" of corruption in the bus procurement and accused the BJP-led central government of "harassing" it by using the CBI.

The matter of "corruption" in annual maintenance contract (AMC) of the bus procurement by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was raised by the BJP in the Delhi assembly in March last year.

A three-member committee formed by former lieutenant governor Anil Baijal in June last year had found procedural "flaws" in the AMC and recommended scrapping it.

The L-G had referred the matter to the MHA for its consideration, the officials said.