Misuse of funds: Sheila Dikshit, Barkha Shukla and Kiran Walia deny allegations

New Delhi: Former CM Sheila Dikshit has rebutted the charges levelled by DCW chief Swati Maliwal, saying that she was never involved in the financial decision-making and expenditure of the commission. Former DCW chief Barkha Shukla Singh described the complaint by Maliwal as “politically motivated” while former Delhi minister for women and child development Kiran Walia said she won’t take this attack on her lying down.
Dikshit said while she had not seen the complaint, she was clear she had done no wrong. “This is an AAP strategy. They are dying to make allegations all the time. DCW is an independent commission and the funds are allocated to it through the finance department. As CM, I would have nothing to do with the spending of the funds,” she said.
Barkha pointed out at a press conference that “Maliwal and DCW are being investigated on my complaint and evidence provided by me.” She rejected Maliwal's claim that she had handled only one case during her tenure as DCW chief. “We handled more than 1.5 lakh cases. On the allegation that wives of IAS and IPS officers were employed in the commission by me, I ask Maliwal to make the names public,” she said.
She claimed the complaint filed by her against alleged irregularities in DCW recruitments included CM Kejriwal’s name because it was he who had in the first instance approached her to give employment to one activist. “I told the CM the power to appoint people in the commission rests with the women and child department and CM’s office and due procedure may be followed, and that I have no authority to employ anyone. This antagonised him,” she alleged. Singh also alleged that Kejriwal asked her to go slow on cases against his party members, Kumar Vishwas and MLA Somnath Bharati.
“If required, I will take legal action as all these allegations are false,” said Walia. “I have not done any corruption and was never involved in any kind of financial expenditure. I see this attack on me as diversionary tactics by AAP to steer attention away from their own shortcomings.”