Threatened by the appointment of the Former CBI officer Rakesh Asthana as the commissioner of Delhi Police, The Delhi ruling Aam Admi Party has passed a resolution on Thursday to seek a reversal of the appointment. They claim this appointment is used to create “a reign of terror” against political rivals in the national capital.
This could lead to another cold war between the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government and the Union government. AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha, while passing the resolution, told the Delhi assembly that Asthana’s appointment as Delhi Police commissioner is a violation of a Supreme Court ruling and as such qualifies as a “contempt of court.”
Delhi’s Health Minister Satyender Jain pointed out “The Supreme Court gave the ruling that there should be six months’ tenure left in the appointment of DG level, but Rakesh Asthana only had 4 days of tenure left.”
What is the "Special Mission" on which Rakesh Asthana has been brought to Delhi as Commissioner?
Same Gujarat like missions like murders?
Or is it Mission Fake Encounter?
Or Mission Communal Riots?
Or to Crush Opponents?
Or Mission Snooping?– AAP MLA @akhilesht84 pic.twitter.com/Avc7ktE0uf
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) July 29, 2021
The appointment of the New Delhi Police Commissioner has rattled the AAP and thus they are trying their best to scrap this decision of the Centre. It is important to note that the appointment of the new Delhi Police chief was enabled by an extension granted “as a special case” according to an order from the Appointments Committee of Cabinet comprising Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, which is well deserved by him. The 1984-batch Gujarat IPS officer has proven his mettle across different organizations he has worked throughout his career. Asthana played an important role in arresting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in the fodder scam in 1997 during his tenure as the superintendent of police in the CBI.
As the former Police Commissioner of Vadodara and Surat, Asthana also headed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the Godhra train burning case, in which 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were charred to death by a Muslim mob near the Godhra railway station. Asthana, however, was shrouded in controversy for his alleged falling out with CBI boss Alok Verma in 2018. The news made national headlines as the apex agency was divided into two camps. The then CBI director even falsely booked Asthana in an alleged bribery case, in February he got a clean chit. If it wasn’t for the CJI’s intervention, Asthana could well have been the next CBI director.
Read more: With the aim to get fake farmers, Amit Shah makes Rakesh Asthana the Delhi Police Commissioner
Owing to his stellar background, Asthana was selected to take charge of the national capital at a time when the citizens of Delhi needed him the most. Delhi is going through a rough patch because of a series of unfortunate events; be it the unruly Shaheen Bagh protest, North East Delhi riots or the fake farmers’ protest.
Asthana’s excellence in tackling critical situations has threatened the AAP, as they have always been supportive of the ongoing protests in Delhi. During the AAP government’s tenure of 2019-20, the entire of Delhi was engulfed in riots, when the citizens of Delhi were going through the worse phase; instead of saving Delhi, the AAP became a participant in its destruction. All this was the result of a failure of the state government, due to its misgovernance and mismanagement.
Moreover, several investigations have revealed that the former MLA of AAP Tahir Hussain is the main person who had been instigating the mob both on the 24th and 25th of February in the Chand Bagh area. Another charge sheet against him has been filed for orchestrating riots on 24th February 2020. Another controversial politician of the Aam Aadmi Party, Amanatullah Khan taking to his Twitter page has jumped in defence of his colleague and co-religionist former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain by playing Muslim victim card.
The leaders, councillors and MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party are very much threatened after the arrival of Asthana as many of their secrets could be revealed now, which led to the passing of the said resolution against his appointment. A well-known hard taskmaster, Asthana has been vindicated by the Centre’s decision to grant him an extended run. He is the ultimate antidote which Delhi needs right now.
Why is current Delhi administration is afraid of Rakesh Asthana as the commissioner of Delhi Police