New Delhi:
Has the Jasmine Revolution reached Indian shores? The protests against oppressive regimes in the Arab countries are also circulating rapidly on social networking sites. Well, the UPA government doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger.
In a case related to tax evasion a Delhi cabinet minister is currently facing the heat not only in the corridors of power but also in cyberspace. The Delhi Lokayukta (ombudsman) Thursday recommended removal of PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan from the council of ministers as he tried to protect a resort in a tax evasion case. Now several BJP leaders from the city, including Dr Harsh Vardhan, Pawan Sharma, RP Singh, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Nakul Bhardwaj and Vikas Dahiya have joined a Facebook group that is demanding Chauhan's dismissal.
Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin's order came in a case pertaining to the minister's alleged involvement in influencing a team of tax officials to provide relief to the resort. "In his order, the Lokayukta has recommended to the President of India to withdraw her pleasure in allowing the minister to continue as a minister in Delhi Government," sources said. The Lokayukta has made the recommendation to the President, who is the competent authority to withdraw the pleasure for the Minister to hold office in terms of clause five of Article 239 (AA) of the Constitution of India and Section 12 of Delhi Lokayukta-Uplokayukta Act, 1995, the official said quoting the order.
Justice Sarin has also recommended prosecution of the Minister under various sections of Delhi Value Added Tax Act, 2004. Asked about the order, Chauhan said as public representative, he gets lots of calls from people requesting for favours and he only responded to such a call. "I am a public representative. I always try to help people. I may have made the call to help somebody who had requested me for some favour," he said claiming
that the order is of recommendatory nature only.
When asked, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said she has not got the details of the order so she would not like to comment further. This is for the first time that the Lokayukta has recommended the removal of a Delhi Minister. Other Congress leaders too refused to speak on the matter. However, party sources said that to save themselves from embarrassment, leaders have started looking for ways to protect the minister.
Predictably, BJP leaders were more forthcoming. "As per law it is the responsibility of the Lokayukta to check the conduct of public representatives including chief minister and ministers. As Delhi Lokayukta Manmohan Sarin has recommended his (Raj Kumar Chauhan's) removal from the post to President Pratibha Patil, the Minister should resign immediately on moral grounds. Otherwise Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit should sack him," said Dr Harsh Vardhan, former Delhi Minister and senior BJP leader.
"Instead of taking action against the Minister, who is involved in corruption, the government is trying to suppress the voice of the Opposition. Delhi BJP will stage a dharna against the police atrocity and demand the dismissal of Chauhan at Jantar Mantar on Friday," said Delhi BJP President Vijender Gupta.
The Lokayukta had taken suo motu action on media reports that VAT Commissioner Jalaj Srivastava had written to the Delhi government saying that a minister had asked him to recall enforcement team from the survey. Srivastava had later named Chauhan as the Delhi minister who had called him to intervene during the survey.
In his report to the government, Srivastava had said the minister told him over phone to "intervene" in the alleged tax evasion case against Tivoli Garden Resort hotel in South Delhi. Srivastava has also named Lok Sabha member Raj Babbar, who also made a call the same day, and former councillor Ramesh Dutta who visited him a few days after the survey was conducted at the premises of the Chhattarpur banquet hall.
Money mattersBased on the raid and subsequent inquiry in February, tax officials have projected that the banquet hall owners may have collectively under-reported their gross turnover between March 2006 and November 2009 by up to Rs 255.36 crore. As a result, Delhi's tax department lost nearly Rs 31.92 crore and a tax evasion penalty of a similar amount.
Get clicking!The Facebook group was formed, soon after the news came to light on Thursday evening, by a young netizen Shivam Chhabra. The group so far has 28 members. The description on the page mentions: "The group is for the people who support the fact that the Delhi Government Minister should resign with immediate effect. The charges levelled against him are extremely serious. Join the Mission. Save Delhi from the Congress Raj!"