AAP defends senior bureaucrat Rajendra Kumar; cites his 'clean' service record

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday sprang to the defence of senior bureaucrat Rajendra Kumar, who is facing a CBI probe over allegations of corruption, and virtually gave him a clean chit.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Kumar, who serves as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's principal secretary, has a clean service record that spans over 27 years, in which allegations of corruption were never made against him.

"You are asking why Kejriwal kept a corrupt official like Rajendra Kumar. Kumar has served for 27 years. Has there ever been a probe over allegations of corruption against him?

"In the last 27 years, there has not been a single allegation of corruption against Rajendra Kumar. The media should not distort facts. It is also showing that Rs 28 lakh was recovered from his salary account. Does a salary account contain unaccounted money?" Singh asked.

Singh made the comments during a highly charged press conference, where the AAP attacked Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for alleged financial bunglings in DDCA.

Kumar, a 1989-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre, is facing probe for purportedly favouring a software firm in his capacity as a senior bureaucrat in the Sheila Dikshit dispensation.