Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tarun Sharma, Deputy Secretary to the CM and three other officials have been arrested by the CBI. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has naturally reacted strongly. The CBI has alleged that these officials are involved in a Rs 50 crore scam. The court should adjudicate on the case. The AAP’s response shows a lack of confidence in the due process of law. It scents political conspiracy behind it. Its charge is that the Centre has deliberately put the officials in the dock. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deli lieutenant government Najeeb Jung are said to be behind this. To this has been added the transfer of eleven bureaucrats from Delhi to the Andamans. It has been done to strengthen the AAP’s allegation that Arvind Kejriwal is the target. All this has further soured relations between the Centre and the AAP government in Delhi.
The thing is that AAP was a movement but it is now a government. The dividing line between the party and the government is often lost sight of. The party is also now in the election campaign in Punjab and Goa. The language and rhetoric it is using in the campaign does not suit a party running a government. It has no respect for institutional constraints. The operation against the bureaucrats has been mounted by the CBI which is the foremost investigative agency in the country and should be free from political motive. It has to deal with the court and if the Delhi government has concerns, these should be expressed in court. The AAP cannot claim immunity for officials or legislators. Street agitation fouls the process.
