Sandeep Dikshit accuses Ajay Maken of defaming Sheila

New Delhi: In a fresh escalation of infighting in the Congress, former MP Sandeep Dikshit lashed out at Delhi unit chief Ajay Maken for conspiring to defame his mother and former CM Sheila Dikshit during her tenure in office and said the underhand tactics continued as she had been declared the party mascot for Uttar Pradesh polls.
In a rare public outburst that points to deep-seated dissidence in the Delhi unit, Sandeep said, “He (Maken) prepared a false synopsis of the CAG’s Commonwealth Games report, putting in fabricated charges and sent them to a media house even before the CAG report was published, and that media house broadcast these allegations.The actual report contained none of these charges but the damage, as planned, was done.”
He said the same ploy was adopted to allege corruption in other works of the Sheila Dikshit government like “electricity rates and power metres”.Corruption allegations against the Dikshit regime saw newbie AAP launch a political campaign that ultimately led to Arvind Kejriwal becoming chief minister while Congress did not win a single seat in the assembly. The loss saw the eclipse of the Dikshit family’s prominence in Delhi and rise of Maken in the party hierarchy as in-charge of the AICC communication apparatus and he was seen to have the ear of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. It also provided an opportunity for other leaders, chafing at Sheila Dikshit’s dominance, to come out against her.
Sandeep’s sharp commentary was part of a web post that did not mention Maken by name though the references are unmistakable, triggering disquiet in Congress circles since Sheila is now the party’s UP CM face.
AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, in-charge of the Congress UP unit, said, “We take responsibility for a leader, not the family members.” He said Sandeep’s statement resulted from personal rivalry of the two leaders. Sources close to Maken said, “It is part of churning and leaders are trying to assert themselves since Congress is reviving in the city.” They said the AICC leadership had complete faith in Maken and Sandeep’s comments had not bothered him.
Interestingly, Sandeep said Congress was reviving in the city on the strength of the 15-year Sheila rule which “was discredited by the very person who is reaping that benefit now”.Stating that Maken had not relented yet, Sandeep alleged the Delhi unit chief had been egging on journalists to do stories on “tanker scam” that went back to the Dikshit government. The “tanker scam” cropped up around the time Sheila was named UP’s CM candidate.
The former East Delhi MP said the continued hostility stemmed from Sheila being a source of concern for the Delhi state leadership which “prospered by being her counterpoint and has made abusing her its rallying point”.
Stating that his political options were limited, Sandeep said, “When such a person is rewarded and placed at the helm of affairs of Delhi Congress, where does that leave any space for me to graze in.”