New Delhi, March 19, 2024;
Aam Aadmi Party senior leader and Delhi cabinet minister Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj today said that the so-called liquor scam promoted by the BJP which purportedly started with thousands of crores of rupees came down to Rs 100 crore as per the ED’s assertion, that too, without any shred of evidence of financial transaction in the matter.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj referred to a press release issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and said that in the alleged liquor scam promoted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ED has stated that transactions amounting to approximately Rs 100 crore have taken place. He mentioned that until now, the BJP was claiming it to be a scam of thousands of crores, but over time, the ED has revised its statement to confirm transactions of Rs 100 crore in this case. He stated that despite this, the ED has not presented any evidence of financial transactions in this matter.
Referring to an order issued by Justice Sanjeev Khanna of the Supreme Court on October 30, 2023, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj said that in this order, the Justice clearly stated that the allegation of Rs 100 crore transaction by the ED is somewhat a matter of debate, and no evidence or facts have been presented by the ED in court in this regard. He mentioned that despite the order issued by the Supreme Court, the ED, which should be an independent government institution responsible for impartially investigating all cases, appeared to be forcefully spreading the news of a Rs 100 crore transaction in this alleged liquor scam through newspapers and news channels. He said it is unfortunate that a probe agency, which should work independently for everyone, spent the entire day yesterday in the central government’s office constructing a negative narrative against political opponents and attempting to defame them, he added.
The Delhi Cabinet Minister stated that in the alleged liquor scam case, raids have been conducted at more than 500 locations, testimonies from over a thousand people have been recorded, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has included over 50,000 documents in its charge-sheet. However, despite this extensive investigation, the ED has not been able to produce any evidence of illegal funds, illegal assets, or benami properties. No evidence has been presented by the ED, only baseless allegations continue to persist in this case, he added.
Drawing an example from Putin’s recent victory in Russia, Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj mentioned that Putin received 87% of the votes in Russia, and he portrayed his aggression against Ukraine as acceptable to the public based on this voting percentage. However, the truth is that Putin has also eliminated all opposition leaders in his country. Putin has imprisoned his main opposition rival in Russia, who recently died in jail. Similarly, in North Korea, which is known worldwide as a totalitarian country, their president, Kim Jong Un, holds elections in his country and declares himself the winner after the elections.
The Delhi Cabinet Minister stated that a similar situation is emerging in our country as well. Opposition leaders who pose a threat to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre are being arrested and imprisoned. He said today, the BJP government at the Centre has imprisoned the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party ranked two, three, and four, and a conspiracy is being hatched to imprison our number 1 leader, Arvind Kejriwal. He said that if all opposition leaders are imprisoned, then no one will be left to question the Prime Minister, and like Putin and Kim Jong, the BJP will also win in elections.
Shri Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that electoral vendetta has become a means to validate one’s victory in many countries, and India is also moving along the same path. He mentioned that every opposition leader who poses a threat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being systematically targeted for imprisonment. He noted that there is a relentless effort to put Arvind Kejriwal in jail by the BJP. This is because Arvind Kejriwal is a leader who consistently questions the BJP government at the Centre on issues related to public welfare. It has been observed that whenever Arvind Kejriwal raises questions about the BJP government at the Centre regarding public interest, it causes unease for the BJP.
