What got Arvind Kejriwal's goat and why is Rajendra Kumar a thorn in his side?

By reacting rather vituperatively against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the social media, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was making an emotional point not consistent with his moral position in the past. The CBI is learnt to have finally taken action against Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Kejriwal, only after collecting irrefutable evidence against him in corruption cases. A 1989 batch officer and ex-IITian, Kumar’s brush with controversy and charges of corruption is hardly new. [caption id=“attachment_2546496” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Arvind Kejriwal in a file photo. PTI[/caption] When the Delhi government splurged on advertisements extolling Delhi government’s achievements, Kumar’s role was frowned upon by his colleagues in the government. He was finally exposed when another official of Delhi government, Ashish Joshi, lodged a complaint highlighting his role in diversion of government funds during his previous assignments to shell-companies owned by his relatives. What appears to have got Kejriwal’s goat is the suspicion that the interrogation of Rajendra Kumar would lead the probe agency to the Delhi government’s huge expenditure on a self-serving media campaign. Given Kejriwal’s proximity to Kumar, the Delhi Chief Minister’s grandstanding on “honesty and transparency” would be grossly compromised. Those associated with Kejriwal in the past admitted that right from the beginning, old comrades of the Chief Minister have been raising objection over the selection of Kumar in his personal staff. “We had raised objections over his appointment and briefed the CM about his controversial past,” said an old-time associate. But Kejriwal is believed to have brushed their apprehension aside to repose faith in Rajender Kumar. Since the beginning Kejariwal has been acutely conscious of the charges against Kumar and his run in with the Union Home ministry. What appears to be baffling in the current episode is his insistence that he should have been informed about the impending CBI action. In fact, given the quasi-statehood status of Delhi, the CBI is well within its rights to proceed against any official found guilty of corruption. More recently, a senior IAS officer, SP Singh, was caught by the CBI for accepting a bribe in the same manner. The Delhi government recommended his suspension. Officials in the CBI maintain that they have a free mandate in Union Territories and Delhi to conduct operation under Delhi Police Establishment Act (DPSE). Obviously, the agency has been severely constrained legally to conduct similar operations in other states where corruption cases are either handed over to the CBI by superior courts or investigated by the state agencies in a cavalier manner. For instance, the Saradha scam was handed over to the CBI by Supreme Court (SC) and the Noida scam in UP was given to the agency by the court. Officials say hundreds of cases with overwhelming evidence against officials have been lying with the state governments. They have denied permission to CBI to prosecute these officers. Given Kejriwal’s experience as a social activist, he cannot be unaware of these facts. Earlier, he had opposed any constraints on the agencies investigating corruption. However, as chief minister, he perhaps acknowledges the limitations of his earlier approach. His reaction today reveals he is no better than any run-of-the mill politician.