AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj accuses senior BJP leader of blackmailing traders

Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that senior BJP leader and former Mayor Ravindra Gupta has been accused by the traders of extortion of crores of rupees.

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NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the BJP-ruled MCD sealed the ND Mall in 2013, took crores of rupees from shopkeepers, allowed the mall to run for 8 years and now got the mall sealed when the traders did not pay the money again. After the sealing of ND Mall 8 years ago, BJP leaders got the mall started illegally by taking crores of rupees as bribes.

He said that senior BJP leader and former Mayor Ravindra Gupta has been accused by the traders of extortion of crores of rupees; when BJP leader Ravindra Gupta's blackmailing and extortion practices got exposed, MCD again sealed that building this morning. He said he wants to ask the Delhi BJP state president Adesh Gupta if the theft was not visible to Delhi BJP and will he take action against Ravindra Gupta?

Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Today we are going to reveal about the organised dacoity of crores of rupees carried out by the Delhi Police and MCD in open daylight. People should not be surprised because both of these authorities come under the control of the BJP. Some days ago, dozens of businessmen of Karol Bagh raised an issue which said that in 2013, a commercial building by the name of ND Mall was constructed on Ajmal Khan Road in Karol Bagh. MCD found it to be unauthorised and sealed all the floors of that building."

"Those shops were automatically opened sometime later. For the past 8 years, big showrooms have been running in the mall. This matter came to light when the businessmen and shopkeepers of Karol Bagh alleged the former mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the councillor of Karol Bagh, Ravindra Gupta, to have attempted to extort crores of rupees from them. When AAP enquired about this entire matter, we found multiple malpractices in the functioning of the MCD and Delhi Police.” 

Talking about the inaction of the Delhi Police and other authorities, he said. "We found out that this building was sealed, but has not been demolished yet. Sealing is a temporary measure for a couple of days or weeks before the building is demolished. Instead, this seal was broken and bribes were taken for those shops and showrooms to continue functioning. It's not like they were running off the radar. The authorities knew about this and still took no action. In 2014, an FIR was registered in this matter and this has reached the AE, ExEn, SE and Deputy Commissioner of the Karol Bagh Zone. It is written here that the shops which were sealed have opened again and this was addressed to the SHO of Karol Bagh Police Station. After that, this matter was suppressed."

He continued, "This matter resurfaced because BJP got greedy and asked for money again. They threatened the shop owners with sealing their shops in case more money was not paid to them. To express their dissatisfaction with the intimidating behaviour of the BJP, these shopkeepers held a press conference and revealed everything about this matter. Once that clip started playing on channels and even I tweeted it, the MCD's blackmailing and extortion practices got exposed and those shops have been sealed again today.

Bhardwaj further alleged, "Now the questions arise - Who was the councillor of Karol Bagh when these buildings got sealed? Mr. Ravindra Gupta. Not just the councillor but the Mayor of North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Why were the buildings sealed and not demolished when Ravindra Gupta was the mayor? How is it possible that these shops were running despite the files of sealing, desealing and the complaint of these shops running were given to the DC and other higher authorities?"

Telling about how the shopkeepers have been deceived by the BJP, he said, "Even the most corrupt policemen would follow the bare minimum procedure in such a case. At least an investigating officer should have been sent to the mall, the statements of the shopkeepers should have been recorded, the statement of the MCD should have been recorded. Now that the shopkeepers refused to pay bribes to the BJP, their shops have been closed. The shopkeepers who fed the BJP and RSS in Delhi have themselves been deceived by the BJP. I don't think anyone can fall beyond this level. When no one paid heed to the RSS, it was the businesspersons' fraternity that gave them monetary contributions and has made them get to the top echelons of Indian governance. Now the BJP-RSS is extorting money from these businesspersons and threatening them using their power."

Pointing some tough questions at Adesh Gupta (BJP's Delhi Unit President), Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "Is the BJP not able to notice these corrupt practices going on in Delhi? Would they get this investigated by the CBI or not?"

Bharadwaj informed of an uncanny pattern, "I have noticed a pattern in the Delhi BJP. When the Aam Aadmi Party points out their corruption, they shrug their shoulders and say that the Aam Aadmi Party is lying. But afterwards, they are seen sacking those councillors from their party while citing corruption."