New Delhi, 13 April 2024
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has taken potshots at the BJP and its investigative arms (agencies) for propagating false information through the media. AAP’s Chief Spokesperson (National), Ms. Priyanka Kakkar, has raised concerns over the absence of evidence by the ED-CBI in the alleged liquor scam, despite a two-year investigation. Ms. Priyanka Kakkar asserts that the absence of evidence has led these agencies to resort to spreading fabricated news. She specifically highlighted a news report suggesting that K. Kavitha coerced Sarath Reddy into donating ₹25 crore to the AAP, dismissing it as false.
AAP’s Chief Spokesperson (National) Ms. Priyanka Kakkar said in a press conference at the party headquarters on Saturday that for the last two years all the agencies of BJP have been investigating the so-called liquor scam. Even after two years of investigation, not even a single penny has been recovered from anywhere. Delhi’s Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s name is not mentioned in any FIR or charge sheet. No court has declared him guilty. Still, he is being kept in custody merely on the basis of two statements.
AAP’s Chief Spokesperson (National) mentioned, “One of the two statements is of Manguta Reddy, who is now NDA’s Lok Sabha candidate from Andhra Pradesh. Whereas, the second statement is of Sarath Reddy, who after his arrest donated around ₹60 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds. Sarath Reddy has turned into a government witness and has been granted bail. After the BJP took ₹60 crores, its ED remained silent instead of objecting to Sarath Chandra Reddy’s bail.
She further said that another shocking fact has come to light on Saturday. It has been reported in some newspapers that Sarath Reddy has given a statement regarding K. Kavitha in the court. He said that K. Kavitha had threatened him and asked him to give ₹25 crores to the AAP. But how did this happen? In 10 out of 12 statements given by Sarath Reddy, he did not take the name of Shri Arvind Kejriwal and the BJP’s agency did not produce these statements before the court. At the same time, the 11th and 12th statements in which Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s name was taken, were placed before the court.
Ms. Priyanka Kakkar said that when Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s hearing was going on in the High Court, then Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had clearly said that the statements given in Section 164 before the Magistrate have significant value. But even in those 164 statements, Sarath Reddy never said that K. Kavitha had threatened him to give ₹25 crore to the AAP. In the 12 statements given by Sarath Reddy before today, he had never mentioned K. Kavitha’s name. Therefore the question is arising now where did this sudden new statement come from? The BJP’s agency is only trying to create an atmosphere against Shri Arvind Kejriwal by planting news. Neither were these statements made before the court, nor did Sarath Reddy make these statements in his PMLA statement. This statement has been published only in newspapers.
“BJP’s agency should tell if they have started investigating anyone as an accused in the matter of donations worth ₹60 crores made to the BJP, post Sarath Chandra Reddy’s arrest. The ED should also tell why it suddenly became silent at the time of Sarath Reddy’s bail? The AAP wants to know from the ED and CBI why they are planting such fake stories in the media. Because till now, this has not been said in any statement given by Sarath Reddy. In such a situation, the BJP agencies should answer who is planting this false news in the media and why?” Ms. Priyanka Kakkar concluded.
