May 1, 2009 2:37:14 am
Jai Kishan Sharma,Leader of the Opposition,MCD,and former Mayor of Delhi,Farhad Suri,have accused Vijender Gupta,BJP candidate from Chandni Chowk,of impropriety and misconduct.
At a press conference on Thursday,the two said the NGO Sampurna headed by Guptas wife was granted disproportionately large amounts by the MCD and that the funds had not been accounted for.
Gupta is also the chairman of the MCDs standing committee. The duo also claimed her NGO had used MCD-allotted space for commercial purposes.
Another allegation against Gupta was that he stopped his protests against sealing after he became the chairman of the MCD committee and did not carry out any development work in his ward.
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Gupta lashed out against the allegations saying they only showed the Congress frustration over his popularity in the constituency.
They have nothing against me. Thats why they have stooped so low. On the eve of the elections,they are making baseless allegations. This is a clear case of defamation, he said.
They should just quit the race now. Now,should I fight elections,or respond to these allegations? he asked.
At the press conference,Suri and Sharma also circulated documents showing Guptas signature in the attendance register claiming he was present,when he was in fact absent,according to a press release circulated by the Kapil Sibal campaign.
A series of allegations and counter allegations have been doing the rounds in the fight between the two leaders.
While the Sibal campaign has been busy sending defamation notices to Gupta and holding press conferences accusing the BJP candidate of bribery and misconduct,Guptas PR machinery too has been busy countering the charges and filing complaints against Sibal with the Election Commissions office.
Locals complain the campaign in Chandni Chowk has been reduced to a personal fight between Sibal and Gupta and real issues have been ignored.
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