Delhi LG axes ‘illegally appointed’ AAP nominees on board of private DISCOMs

Delhi’s Lt Governor VK Saxena has removed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesman Jasmine Shah and AAP MP ND Gupta’s son Naveen Gupta as government nominees on the board of private DISCOMs.

The LG Office said in a statement that the duo has been removed for “illegally” occupying the positions and replaced by senior government officers.

The statement said they had been “illegally appointed as government nominees on the boards of privately owned DISCOMs, BYPL, BRPL (Anil Ambani), and NDPDCL (Tata).

Corruption charge

The LG’s office accused the two of collaborating with private representatives on the boards of the Anil Ambani-owned DISCOMS and benefitting them to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore at the cost of the public exchequer.

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The Finance Secretary, Power Secretary, and the Managing Director of Delhi Transco will now represent the government on these Ambani- and Tata-owned DISCOMs.

This has been the practice since Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister, when these DISCOMs came into existence, the statement read.

The Lt Governor had referred the matter to the President of India for a decision. He had asked for the removal of the above-mentioned political appointees on the DISCOM boards.

The Delhi government owns 49 per cent stake in the private DISCOMs.

Aiding private companies

“However, these AAP nominees on the DISCOMs, in a quid pro quo arrangement involving commissions and kickbacks, instead of acting vigilant in the interest of the people and Government of Delhi, acted in cahoots with the BRPL and BYPL boards, facilitated a decision by their boards to decrease the LPSC rates from 18 per cent to 12 per cent, and in the process, unduly benefitted them to the tune of Rs 8,468 crores — an amount that would have gone to the Delhi government exchequer,” the statement read.

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(With agency inputs)