AAP Demands Arrest Of Rajiv Rangeela In Alleged Delhi Health Department Scam
On Tuesday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised questions over the Anti Corruption Branch's (ACB) failure to arrest Rajiv Rangeela, the alleged main accused in a corruption case involving irregularities in the Health Department in Delhi.
Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta explain why Rangeela has neither been arrested nor questioned, despite his name repeatedly appearing on every page of the ACB's First Information Report (FIR). According to Bharadwaj, the FIR demonstrates that Rangeela, in collusion with the government, caused a ₹650-crore loss to the public exchequer.
The AAP leader alleged that Rangeela was the actual owner of all the private companies that secured Health Department tenders at inflated rates. Bharadwaj questioned why both the Delhi government and the ACB have remained silent regarding Rangeela's involvement in these deals.
Adding to the accusations, AAP MP Sanjay Singh accused the government of being directly involved in the alleged irregularities. Singh stated that the party would launch a protest campaign to take the issue of the alleged scam to every household in Delhi.
However, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly rejected the allegations. Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra accused AAP of trying to portray what was a "clear case of corruption by officials" as a major financial scam in an attempt to politically revive itself.
Malhotra further alleged that Bharadwaj failed to provide any substantial evidence of a ₹650-crore scam when questioned by reporters. According to the BJP leader, the AAP president could not present figures or details to support the ₹650-crore claim beyond a few lakhs of rupees.
Explaining the background of the investigation, Malhotra stated that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta herself had ordered the ACB to probe the matter as soon as she received information about corruption involving officials and contractors. He noted that several arrests had already been made following the Chief Minister's directive.
