AAP government harassing me for summoning Law Minister Somnath Bharti: Barkha Singh, DCW chief

New Delhi, January 29, 2014

First Published: 16:09 IST(29/1/2014) |
Barkha Singh, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), on Wednesday refused to step down and accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of harassing her for summoning controversial law minister Somnath Bharti in connection with the south Delhi raid.

A former Congress legislator, Singh had a public confrontation with Bharti’s lawyers last week when they appeared before the DCW on his behalf in the case of alleged harassment of a number of Ugandan women.

Singh, who had lost the assembly election from RK Puram, said she was holding a constitutional post and there was no need to resign from it though the Congress dispensation, which had appointed her, was defeated.

 

A number of AAP leaders want Singh’s resignation as her party was ousted from power.

Earlier this month, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Arvinder Singh Lovely had asked all partymen to quit from various posts in government-run boards and commissions. When asked about it, Lovely said he had withdrawn his directive.

“It is a constitutional post and I still have one year and four months left in my tenure. The AAP government is harassing me and targeting me because I summoned Bharti in connection with the ill-treatment of Ugandan women during the midnight raid in Khirki Extension.

“Those Ugandan women had come to me with their complaints and I did my duty. If they are removing me because I summoned the law minister, then it is totally wrong. It is an atrocity on me,” Singh said.

The DCW chairperson had summoned Bharti over allegations that he had led a group of supporters against some African women after claiming they were involved in a drug and prostitution racket.

Bharti did not appear before the commission on January 24 as directed by it, but sent his lawyers who were not allowed to put across their views by Singh.

The AAP, in a statement, had accused Singh of “politicisation” of the commission by its chairperson. Bharti had said the move to summon him was “politically motivated” since “Barkha Singh is a member of Congress”.

 

Read more here —  http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/aap-govt-harassing-me-for-summoning-bharti-women-s-commission-chief/article1-1177900.asp

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