Setback for Delhi AAP; party nominees removed from board of private discoms

Tribune News Service

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, February 11

In a major setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi, the Department of Power has removed Jasmine Shah, spokesperson, AAP, and Naveen ND Gupta, son of AAP MP ND Gupta, who had been illegally appointed as ‘government nominees’ on the board of private power distribution companies (discoms). AAP nominees have been replaced by senior government officers.

Officials informed that they had allegedly collaborated with private representatives on boards of Anil Ambani owned discoms and benefitted them to the tune of Rs 8000 crore at the cost of public exchequer.

Finance Secretary, Power Secretary and MD, Delhi Transco, will now represent the government on these Ambani and Tata owned discoms.

Delhi L-G had ordered for immediate removal of Jasmine Shah, Navin Gupta and other private individuals, who were illegally appointed as government nominees on the boards of privately owned discoms--BYPL, BRPL (Anil Ambani) and NDPDCL (Tata).

Invoking “difference of opinion” under Article 239AA of the Constitution, after the Arvind Kejriwal government persisted upon their continuance on these boards, despite proven misconduct and maleficence on their part, by way of benefiting the Ambani owned discoms to the tune of more than Rs 8000 crore at the cost of government exchequer, L-G VK Saxena had referred the matter to the President for a decision. He had asked for the removal of the above mentioned political appointees with immediate effect, pending the President’s decision, and asked for senior government officials to replace them.

“Nomination of senior govt officials like the finance secretary, power secretary and representatives of government-owned Gencos and Transco, had been the norm till Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government nominated party functionaries as ‘government nominees’,” said an officer from L-G office.

Notably, Delhi government which owns 49 per cent of stake in private discoms used to nominate senior government officials so that the interests of the government and people of Delhi could be taken care of.

However, these AAP nominees on the discoms, in a quid pro quo arrangement involving commissions and kickbacks, instead of acting in interest of the people and the Delhi government, allegedly acted in cahoots with the BRPL and BYPL boards facilitated a decision by their boards to decrease the LPSC rates from 18% to 12%, and in the process unduly benefitted them to the tune of Rs 8468 crore- an amount that would have gone to the Delhi Govt exchequer.

Meanwhile, AAP has issued a statement stating that LG’s orders removing Jasmine Shah and Naveen Gupta from the Board of DISCOMs is illegal and unconstitutional. "LG does not have the power to issue such orders. Only the elected govt has powers to issue orders on the subject of electricity. LG has made a complete mockery of all SC orders and the Constitution. He is openly going around saying that SC orders are not binding on him," the statement said. 

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