ACB questions Sheila Dikshit in water tanker scam

New Delhi, Aug 28: The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government on Sunday questioned former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in its ongoing probe into the alleged Rs 400 crore water tanker scam.

"We have questioned Sheila Dikshit today (Sunday) at her residence here," ACB chief M.K. Meena told IANS. 

The ACB's action came in the wake of complaints filed against the former Chief Minister by Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra. 

While Dikshit, who is now the Congress's chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, denied that she was questioned by the ACB sleuths on the alleged scam but given a questionnaire, and Mishra attacked the ACB for not interrogating her properly but just giving her questions to answer, Meena declined to provide details about the questioning. 

"She has been questioned and right now, the probe is going on in the case so I can't share further details," he said.

Meena also refused to reveal if the ACB has asked Dikshit to appear before the investigating agency in the coming days.

Addressing reporters at her residence, Dikshit said: "ACB questionnaire has 18 questions. And it will take time to answer them."

Asked if the ACB has given a specific time for replying to those questions, she said: "ACB hasn't set a time limit for me to reply to the questionnaire. There are a lot of details that I don't remember and there were number of officers and agencies which jointly took the decisions to buy the water tankers, many of which are still operational till date."

Meanwhile, Mishra alleged that the agency team went at the Congress leader's residence to have a cup of tea while "no interrogation and no cross questioning was done". 

"I am the complainant in this case and I was called for questioning by the ACB. The ACB questioned me for over four hours. But when the ACB team reaches Dikshit's house, they don't interrogate her and just submit a set of questionnaire for answer," he said.

"Did the team visit Dikshit's place to have some tea," he asked.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also demanded the arrest of the Congress leader in the alleged scam.

A complaint was also filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijender Gupta with the ACB against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "for causing delay and not cancelling the contract for water tankers" in June this year.

While Mishra had filed a complaint with Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Dikshit in the scam, Kejriwal's name was included, on the complaint of Gupta.

Jung had cleared a probe against Dikshit in the alleged on June 16. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had in June 2015 set up a five-member fact-finding committee to probe the alleged irregularities in hiring 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board in 2012 during Dikshit's rule.