In a recent development, Senior AAP Leader and Cabinet Minister in the Delhi Government Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj has raised concerns over BJP candidate Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar’s actions during the model code of conduct, citing potential violations of the Representation of People’s Act 1951. The Senior AAP Leader questions the propriety of their meeting, suggesting it undermines the impartiality expected during the election period. Additionally, he calls for swift action from the Union Home Ministry regarding his complaint about the Chief Secretary’s conduct and the extensions granted by the Central Government.
Senior AAP leader and Cabinet Minister Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said that a few days ago I had written a letter to the Union Home Ministry complaining that during the code of conduct, Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar was found holding a meeting with BJP candidate from South Delhi, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, some BJP leaders and some RWAs people. I got this information from the Facebook page of former BJP MLA Brahm Singh Tanwar, on which he had written that on 24 April 2024, he met the Chief Secretary of Delhi along with Shri Ramvir Singh Bidhuri ji and put forth various issues of South Delhi Lok Sabha and Chhatarpur Legislative Assembly.
The Senior AAP Leader also shared the picture that the former BJP MLA had taken outside the Chief Secretary’s room after meeting him and posted it on his Facebook page. I have written several letters to the Chief Secretary regarding holding a meeting regarding some government work during the model code of conduct, but in the reply to every meeting it was said that since the model code of conduct is in place, no meeting can be held.
“The salaries of the doctors of the Mohalla Clinics were stopped when I held a meeting in this regard, I was told that the model code of conduct is in place when I held a meeting in this regard regarding the shortage of medicines in the hospitals, the Chief Secretary himself replied by writing in the file that since the model code of conduct is in place, such meetings cannot be held. I sought information from various departments of Delhi which have the responsibility of cleaning the drains, about how much work of de-silting of the drains has been done so far, and in response to that too I was told that the model code of conduct is in place,” he added.
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said that given all these incidents, I wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary in this regard and asked that during the code of conduct, meetings cannot be held regarding the withheld salary of the doctors of Mohalla Clinics, meetings cannot be held regarding the shortage of medicines in hospitals, then on what basis are you holding meetings with the BJP candidate from South Delhi and BJP leaders during the code of conduct. I also sent a copy of this letter to the Union Home Ministry. However, I did not receive any reply in this regard from either the Chief Secretary or the Union Home Ministry.
The Delhi Minister said that in response to the tweet I had made in this regard, the then Lok Sabha candidate of BJP and current MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also tweeted, in which he wrote that under which rule is it written that after the imposition of the model code of conduct, the leader of the opposition cannot meet any officer.
Responding to his tweet, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj, citing subsection 7 of section 123 of the Representation of People’s Act 1951, said that it is written in it that if any officer helps any election candidate, tries to help, pretends to help or does any such work which gives the impression that he is doing something in that area which influences the voters, then it will be called corrupt practices and the punishment for this is that the election will be canceled and action will be taken against the officer.
He said that till now I had only alleged that the BJP people have posted information about such a meeting on their Facebook page. But by replying to my tweet, BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri has verified that what I had written was the correct news. Ramvir Singh Bidhuri was an MLA from Badarpur, if he had gone to talk about Badarpur, then this could have been understood. But it is written in the post that various issues of Lok Sabha and Chhatarpur Assembly were put before the Chief Secretary, that is, the work of luring voters was being done to directly influence the Lok Sabha elections, and the voters were influenced.
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the Chief Secretary of Delhi was involved in this type of corrupt conduct, it is clear from this that he was working as an agent of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. Because the Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has been working as an agent of the BJP, this is the reason why he is being given extension again and now he has been given extension again by the BJP government sitting at the centre. At the same time, he was given an additional charge of the post of Chairman of NDMC.
“Is there no other capable officer in the country that Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar is being given extensions again and again and now he has been given the additional charge of being the Chairman of NDMC. I appeal to the Union Home Ministry to take strict action as soon as possible about the complaint I had made about the Chief Secretary meeting with the BJP candidate during the Model Code of Conduct and influencing the voters,” Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj concluded.
