New Delhi: Facing intense scrutiny over the apprehension of his erstwhile aide Bibhav Kumar in relation to the purported assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MLA Swati Maliwal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed his ire at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, labeling him a ‘thanedar’—a police officer intent on incarcerating AAP luminaries.
The Delhi CM, currently on interim bail amid accusations of involvement in a money laundering scheme tied to the defunct Delhi excise policy, cited the detentions of numerous party affiliates, querying whether the electorate chose a Prime Minister or a ‘thanedar.’
During a public assembly at Bhajanpura, preceding the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital, he asserted, “The choice is yours. If you endorse the ‘Lotus’ emblem (BJP), I shall return to incarceration. Conversely, if you support the ‘Hand’ emblem (Congress ally), I might avoid imprisonment. They (BJP) have unleashed ‘gundagardi’ (hooliganism) upon the Opposition.”
Referencing the incarcerations of prominent figures Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendar Jain in separate matters, the CM remarked, “They incarcerated Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh. Now, they’ve also imprisoned my (former) PA. They also contemplate incarcerating Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi. Did we elect a prime minister or a thanedar?”
The AAP leader further contended that the BJP was endeavoring to entangle party members in fraudulent cases, demanding clarity from the ruling party at the Centre on the outcomes of numerous raids on party leaders. “They allege a fictitious scam of Rs 100 crore. I challenge them: you executed over 500 raids. Did you recover even a single penny? Where is this 100 crore? Did it dissipate into the ether?” Kejriwal inquired.
The AAP chief also spearheaded a roadshow in Bhajanpura, within the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, on Tuesday evening. The constituency is contested by Congress’s Kanhaiya Kumar, who faces BJP heavyweight and incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari. Kanhaiya also joined the roadshow led by the AAP chief.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the AAP asserted that the BJP-NDA at the Centre epitomizes ‘ineptitude and misgovernance,’ proclaiming that Delhi’s populace will deliver a stern reprimand to the ruling party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The national capital’s ruling party also rebuffed Union Minister Amit Shah’s allegations, who accused the AAP of being entrenched in corruption.
Previously, the Union Home Minister had launched a fierce critique of the CM, claiming he had never encountered a man who reneged on commitments as frequently as Arvind Kejriwal. Accusing Kejriwal of multi-crore scams, the Union Home Minister declared, “I have never witnessed a more audacious individual (than Kejriwal). After Lalu-ji was convicted (in the fodder scam), he resigned as (Bihar) CM. However, Kejriwal clings to his position.”