Dy CM to handle health minister Jain’s portfolios

HT Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was on Thursday given charge of the departments of health, home, power, water and industries, which were under minister Satyendar Jain, who was arrested on Monday in connection with a money laundering case and is currently in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

A gazette notification issued by the Delhi government said, “Lieutenant-governor, in consultation with chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal), is pleased to allocate portfolios of health, industries, power, home, urban development, irrigation and flood control, and water to Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister, in addition to the portfolios he is presently holding.”

Jain continues to remain a minister in the Kejriwal cabinet but he does not currently have any portfolio.

Sisodia is now in charge of a total of 18 departments, including education, public works department, finance, health, industries, power, home, urban development, water, planning, tourism, and arts and culture, among others.

The ED arrested Jain in a money laundering case on Monday and was produced before the Rouse Avenue courts, which remanded him in ED custody till June 9.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has called the ED case against his cabinet colleague “a fraud one” and stressed that his government “is honest and does not tolerate corruption”.

Training his guns on the Central government, Kejriwal told a press conference on Thursday that the Centre is likely to get his deputy Manish Sisodia also arrested in a few days. He made the claim on the basis of “information he has received from his sources”.

Meanwhile, AAP MLA Atishi also called a press conference on Thursday and accused the Centre of carrying out a witch hunt.

“I want to warn the BJP, the Centre and PM Modi, AAP is unfazed by your witch hunt and slander campaign and we will only come out stronger than ever. Central agencies have registered over 140 cases against AAP since 2012 but haven’t been able to prove a single charge,” she said.

“In 2018, the ED summoned Jain eight times but found no incriminating evidence against him. They had nothing to ask him for four years but arrested him without proof before elections. Jain is the man who gave free world-class health-care to this country and saved innumerable lives. The case under which this arrest has been made was already investigated by the CBI and found to be baseless, lacking any substantial evidence. Even the income tax department had conducted its own investigation and arrived at the same conclusion as the CBI,” the MLA said.

L-G, in consultation with CM, is pleased to allocate health, industries, power, home, urban development, irrigation and flood control, and water portfolios to Manish Sisodia