Delhi Chief Secretary accuses AAP MLAs of assault in CM’s presence

New Delhi, February 20

Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash was allegedly manhandled by a few AAP MLAs at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence, an official said, even as the chief minister's office dismissed the accusation as "bizarre and baseless".

The incident took place last night in the presence of Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia , a senior official alleged.

Read: MHA seeks report from Delhi LG on alleged assault on bureaucrat

Prakash was called by Kejriwal regarding the issue of advertisements, which were not being released, the official said.

However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed he had been called for a discussion on rations.

"The allegation of assault is totally bizarre and baseless," added a senior official of the chief minister's office.

  "There was a heated exchange at the meeting last night. During the argument, two-three AAP MLAs manhandled him... the CS's spectacles also got broken," alleged a senior IAS official, who did not wish to be named.

After the incident, the chief secretary met Lt Governor Anil Baijal last night and apprised him of the incident, he added.

The IAS officers association here met Baijal today and lodged a protest over the issue. Sources said, the association decided not to go on strike as "it will make people suffer".

AAP countered the allegation with a statement that about 2.5 lakh families were deprived of rations last month due to faulty Aadhaar implementation and party MLAs were under tremendous pressure from the public.

"There was a meeting of MLAs at the CM's residence. The CS refused to answer questions, saying that he was not answerable to MLAs and the CM, and that he was answerable only to the LG. He (Prakash) even used bad language against some of the MLAs and left without answering any questions," the party claimed in a statement.

It described as "false information" claims that the meeting and the argument was about TV ads.

The entire discussion was on a large number of families, who were not getting their rations, it said.

"Now he (CS) is making such ludicrous allegations. Obviously, he is doing it at BJPs behest. The BJP has stooped very low in disrupting governance in Delhi through the LG and officers. If the CS can make such wild allegations, one can imagine the kind of obstacles that are being created in AAP governments work by the BJP through the officers," it said.

The bureaucracy and the AAP-led Delhi government have long been at loggerheads.

In December 2015, IAS and DANICS officers went on mass leave against the suspension of two special home secretaries by Home Minister Satyendar Jain. 

PTI