The Delhi Lokayukta has asked Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to reply to charges that she had diverted public funds to pay her advertisement campaign during last year’s Assembly elections.
Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin has also initiated an inquiry into the matter.
The notice to the chief minister follows a complaint filed by BJP leader and former chairperson of the Delhi municipality’s Standing Committee, Vijender Gupta.
In the complaint filed in August this year, Gupta has said Dikshit “misused public fund for advertisement campaigns and misled the public”. Gupta has said Dikshit was also in charge of her party’s information and publicity wing during the campaign and that she had spent Rs 22.56 crore on posters and other material, including advertisement in the print media.
Gupta has further said some posters had photographs of Congress leaders, like UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, “who had no connection with the government of the national capital territory”.
The complaint reads: “Public funds have been misused by Sheila Dikshit for her own benefit and for the benefit of her party. Besides, public fund can be used for informing the voters about the development work done by the government and not by any person or party in their political capacity.”
“The expenses on advertisement by the Delhi government was around Rs 4 crore from 2004-05 to 2006-07 which suddenly increased to Rs 22 crore in 2008-09,” he has alleged.
Gupta also said that many posters detailed the development work done in Delhi in the past years and it was suggested, “the credit went to Sheila Dikshit”. He said the work was done to “gain political mileage and to woo prospective voters”.
In his complaint, Gupta has also said that some posters promised all unauthorised colonies would be regularised. “No steps, however, have been taken to make good that pledge,” Gupta complained. “This clearly demonstrates the promises were a part of the election strategy.”
Taking note of the accusations, Justice Manmohan Sarin said the advertisement campaign looked questionable and required an explanation. He said: “In my view, a prima facie case is made out for initiating an inquiry under provisions of the Lokayukta and Uplokayukta Act.”
Justice Sarin has directed the chief minister to submit a response by October 27.
Vijender Gupta’s complaint was filed after an article — written by one of Dikshit’s associates — was published in a newspaper, boasting that the campaign strategy had been planned as early as in 2007. The article had also disclosed other details of the campaign.
