Amanatullah as Waqf Board chief opposed

■ Gupta to call on L- G shortly

◗ Khan is facing several graft cases, and the CBI is probing them. Gupta said BJP MLAs will call upon the LG to urge him to ensure Khan is not appointed as \ Wakf Board chief

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta on Thursday apprised lieutenant governor Anil Baijal that the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP) government has started the process of appointing tainted legislator Amanatullah Khan as chairperson of Delhi Waqf Board.

According to Mr Gupta, Mr Khan is facing cases of criminal breach of trust, which are being probed by the CBI. He said BJP MLAs would shortly call upon the LG to urge him to ensure Mr Khan doesn’t is not appointed as the chairperson as a CBI inquiry is being conducted against him in various corruption cases in managing the board’s affairs during his erstwhile tenure as chairperson.

Mr Gupta alleged that in case he ( Mr Khan) is elected, in all probability he will influence the ongoing investigation.

“He has been charged that 22 persons of AAP have been wrongfully employed in the board. It has been alleged that most of them were his own close relatives. He has also been charged of disproportionately distributing widow pension and other items to voters of his constituency.

It is alleged that the bribe money has changed hands, while accommodating new tenants an that he also made wrongful or fictious purchases of ` 27 lakhs,” said Mr Gupta.

Mr Khan has already been elected as member of the Board. There are three elected members one of whom can be elected as chairperson. The other two are elected as managers of Waqf Board, bar council and MPs.

By convention and practice, the elected MLA becomes the chairperson. With election of Mr Khan, it is certain that he will become the Board chairperson in a few days,” pointed Mr Gupta.