Corruption, nepotism in all walks of life under Sheila regime: BJP

New Delhi, Jun 22 (UNI) Corruption and nepotism have afflicted every walk of life under the nine year-old Sheila Dikshit regime, Delhi Bharatiya Janta Party president Harsh Vardhan today said.

Addressing a rally of NGOs and alternate Resident Welfare associations in Rohini, Dr Vardhan also accused the Delhi Government of undermining the performance of the BJP-controlled Municipal Corporation of Delhi by withholding money for running civic operations.

Speaking on the occasion, the Delhi BJP chief highlighted the BSES electronic meter scam as one of the biggest corruption cases in living memory.

Demanding to know why no criminal cases were initiated against the culprits, Dr Harsh Vardhan said the BJP had been pleading with the Government since 2004 to investigate why ordinary people were getting such high bills.

''Now that the regulatory body, DERC, has exposed the corruption, the Government, far from taking steps against the company and its own officers, who colluded to loot the people, is acting as if it has no responsibility in the matter,''he said.

Alleging that Delhi, under the Sheila Dikshit Government, had become the most polluting state in India, the Delhi BJP chief said,''air pollution figures are the highest. Plastic bags continue to be used in spite of a High Court order and two laws against it.

The Yamuna Action Plan has failed. There are no steps to preserve rain water and recycle waste water.'' Accusing the Delhi Government of withholding funds to the MCD for civic operations, he said,''the Congress has not accepted its defeat in last year's election. It has systematically sabotaged the BJP-led MCD by not releasing funds on time and undermining the power of the Mayor and Councillors.

In January this year, Finance Minister A K Walia went to the extent of stopping funds from the Government to the MCD on some flimsy and unfounded charges,'' he alleged.

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