The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday launched a scathing attack on lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung, calling him “spokesperson” of the BJP after he rejected the Delhi government’s advice to dissolve the Shunglu Committee to review 400 files of the Arvind Kejriwal government.

Questioning the legality under which the three-member panel was constituted, AAP spokesperson Ashutosh said, “The L-G should stop behaving like a political spokesperson of his latest adopted outfit – BJP. He is hiding behind the Narendra Modi government to cover-up his unconstitutional and illegal actions.” The AAP dispensation on Friday had adviced Mr Jung to dissolve the Shunglu Committee. The L-G, however, had turned down the request and gave the panel a six-week extension. In fact, Mr Jung had not taken kindly the Delhi Cabinet’s appeal to dissolve the panel. “Some misdemeanours are of the gravity that these matters are already in the process of being referred to the CBI for investigation,” Mr Jung’s office had said.

Responding to his statement, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Saturday said: “It is a matter of deep regret that the Central government’s appointee, the Hon’ble lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung, is openly threatening to unleash the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) upon the democratically elected government of Delhi.”

“It is a new low in the already blatant politicisation and misuse of the premier investigation agency of the country. Besides, it also unmasks the ulterior motive behind setting up of the three member Shunglu Committee, whose formation was anyway in violation of the Constitution of India and the GNCTD Act,” the statement further said.

“The AAP and the Delhi government cannot be cowed down by the threat of using the CBI for political vendetta against us,” Mr Ashutosh said.