High drama as chief secretary alleges assault by AAP MLAs
new delhi — Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on Tuesday alleged that he was hit by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)MLA Amanatullah Khan and another party MLA, who he can identify, in front of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at CM’s residence on Monday night.
However, the AAP denied the allegation, saying the chief secretary was making false accusation at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a police complaint filed on Tuesday, Prakash said: “Amanatullah Khan, MLA, and the person/ MLA on my left side, whom I can identify, without any provocation from my side, started hitting and assaulting me and hit several blows with fists on my head and temple.”
Prakash further said that his “spectacles fell on the ground” and he was in a “state of shock”.
“With difficulty I was able to leave the room and get into my official car and leave CM residence,” the chief secretary said in the complaint. “None of the persons present in the room made any effort to save me.”
Prakash was called for a meeting around midnight on Monday at the Chief Minister’s residence where Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and 11 MLAs were present, according to the complaint.
Prakash said the meeting was on “difficulty in release of certain TV advertisements relating to completion of three years of current government of Delhi”.
The chief secretary said he was taken to a room and one of the MLAs closed the door. He was seated on a three-seater sofa between Khan and another MLA, whom he could identify.
“The MLAs started shouting at
He [Anshu Prakash] said you be within your limits... you have no right to question me. He used abusive language and moved out of the room. Ajay Dutt, AAP MLA
me and abused me while blaming me and the bureaucracy for not doing enough for the publicity of the government,” the complaint said. Prakash said that he was attacked after this without any provocation.
The alleged assault triggered a war of words between the AAP and the BJP.
BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, alleged that Kejriwal “in his dictatorial style” called the chief secretary at midnight on Monday and “berated” him in front of his MLAs.
Gupta said Kejriwal was “drunk on power” and his concern was only about why more funds were not dispersed for advertisements. “Such is the state of affairs under AAP.”
“In total, nine AAP MLAs were present at the CM’s residence when the chief secretary was assaulted. They represent people of Delhi but are nothing short of urban naxalites.
“How utterly disgusting behaviour,” he said.
But Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma denied the allegation.
Sharma said during a meeting at Kejriwal’s residence on the “faulty implementation” of Aadhaar that “deprived about 250,000 families of ration”, the chief secretary refused to answer questions saying he was not answerable
Amanatullah Khan, MLA, and the person/ MLA on my left side, whom I can identify, without any provocation from my side, started hitting and assaulting me and hit several blows with fists on my head and temple. Anshu Prakash, Chief Secretary
to MLAs or the chief minister but only to the Lt. Governor. “He even used bad language against some MLAs and left without answering any questions.
“Moreover, it is false information that the meeting and the argument was about TV ads. The entire discussion was on how large number of families were not getting ration,” Sharma said in a statement.
“Obviously, he (the chief secretary) is doing it at the BJP’s behest. The BJP has stooped very low in disrupting governance in Delhi through the Lt. Governor and officers.
“If the chief secretary can make such wild allegations, one can imagine the kind of obstacles that are being created in AAP government’s work by BJP through the officers.” —