NEW DELHI:
In a scathing attack, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has levelled serious charges against the BJP, branding the electoral bond as the largest scam in India’s independent history. AAP’s Chief Spokesperson (National), Priyanka Kakkar, asserted that the BJP orchestrated a scheme to procure bonds through the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Priyanka Kakkar highlighted how the then RBI Governor, Urjit Patel, vehemently opposed the introduction of electoral bonds, citing concerns of money laundering. Urjit Patel’s opposition ultimately led to his resignation. Furthermore, the AAP Chief Spokesperson revealed that in the so-called liquor case, government witness Sarath Reddy didn’t take CM Kejriwal’s name in nine statements. After spending six to seven months behind bars, Reddy was offered a deal: testify against Shri Arvind Kejriwal and support the BJP with a staggering ₹60 crore through electoral bonds. This turn of events transformed Reddy into a government witness, testifying against Shri Arvind Kejriwal.
The AAP Chief Spokesperson (National), Priyanka Kakkar, said at a press conference on Saturday that observing BJP’s actions over the past 10 years, it’s been very clear why Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had imposed a ban on the RSS. The BJP is the worst, incapable, and two-faced party in the country. The BJP fears honesty the most, while honesty is the biggest weapon of the Aam Aadmi Party. CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal is being punished for this honesty.
“Every citizen of the country knows today that while the Kejriwal government presents a budget of surplus every year despite providing welfare services, not filling their pockets, because it is an honest government. On the other hand, the BJP-led states are in deficit because their leaders are busy filling their pockets and not providing any welfare facilities. Today the BJP has burdened the country with a debt of ₹200 lakh crore,” she added.
The AAP Spokesperson (National) further added, “The ‘Bhrashtachari Jumla Party’ (BJP) has committed the biggest scam of independent India, that is, the Electoral Bond scheme. Before the implementation of the Electoral Bond scheme, the then RBI Governor, Urjit Patel, wrote a letter to the BJP government in 2017 stating that this scheme is completely illegal. It will become a means to launder black money, so it should not be implemented. But Urjit Patel also did not think that the BJP would use this scheme through its ‘Extortion Department’ (ED). After writing the letter to the BJP, Urjit Patel had to resign.”
Priyanka Kakkar mentioned that Bangaru Laxman’s BJP (former president of the BJP, who was caught on camera receiving bribe in a sting operation), has been targeting the AAP with countless raids for the past two years. Despite so many raids, not even a penny has been recovered. Yet, the top leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, including Shri Satyendar Jain, Shri Manish Sisodia, Shri Sanjay Singh, and now CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, have been put in jail. Due to the calculated strategy of the ED and CBI, approximately 51,000 pages of documents have been presented before the court, and 458 witnesses have been interrogated. After so much investigation, Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s name appears only in four places.
“Initially, Manish Sisodia’s secretary, C. Aravind claimed that in the presence of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, he had given documents to Shri Manish Sisodia. In the second and third statement, the testimony of Magunta S Reddy (MSR), and his son Raghav Magunta are there. Magunta Reddy testified that he had come to meet Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi regarding the allocation of land for a family trust. But Shri Arvind Kejriwal told MSR that land in Delhi comes under the jurisdiction of the central government. The CM said he (MSR) should write a letter and he (Arvind Kejriwal) will forward it to the Lieutenant Governor.
Priyanka Kakkar shared, “After that, the ED reached Magunta Reddy’s house and asked if he had met Shri Arvind Kejriwal. MSR confirms this. Then the ED says that you met Shri Arvind Kejriwal for the alleged liquor scandal. MSR repeatedly denied it, and then on February 10, 2023, his son Raghav Reddy was arrested by the ED and kept in jail for five months. But both the father and son did not give any statement against Shri Arvind Kejriwal. After much harassment, on July 16, 2023, Raghav Reddy and his father MSR finally testify (against Arvind Kejriwal), and on July 18, 2023, Raghav Reddy is finally released from jail.”
“As per the fourth statement in which Sarath Chandra Reddy has given a total of 9 statements, but nowhere has he mentioned the name of Shri Arvind Kejriwal. After being kept in jail for six to seven months, he is told to provide testimony against Shri Arvind Kejriwal and support the BJP with ₹60 crores. Then Sarath Chandra Reddy becomes a government witness, and he gets bail. The ED does not object to his bail. His bail is granted only citing health reasons. The ₹60 crores provided by Sarath Chandra Reddy through electoral bonds reached the BJP through the ‘Extortion Department (ED),” She added.
Priyanka Kakkar affirmed that statements that do not mention Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s name are not presented before the court by the ED. However, all these testimonies fall under Section 50 of the PMLA. Meanwhile, in his statement, Sarath Chandra Reddy only said that he met Shri Arvind Kejriwal with Vijay Nair. He said, ‘Since Shri Arvind Kejriwal was busy, he said talk to Vijay Nair’. Now, is it enough to incarcerate a popularly elected Chief Minister in jail on the basis of just four statements where Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s name is mentioned?
The AAP Chief Spokesperson (National) conveyed this case has been going on for two years now, but the trial has not started yet. People often ask why bail is not granted to the jailed leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. “I want to tell them that the BJP made amendments to the PMLA in 2018 in such a way that bail becomes impossible until the ED says, ‘Further investigation not required’. However, the ED says the same thing (Further investigation not required) in cases like that of Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sarat Chandra Reddy, and Raghav Reddy, who side with the BJP.
Priyanka Kakkar said PM Modi wants to come first in the race by competing alone and that’s why he is continuously sending all the strong voices of the opposition to jail. “He has been quite wary of Shri Arvind Kejriwal right from the beginning because honesty is Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s biggest asset. In such a scenario, to fight against this injustice and to save democracy, all opposition parties are gathering at Ramlila Maidan at 10 am on March 31, and the people of Delhi are also requested to join this grand rally in large numbers and raise their voices against the corrupt BJP,” Priyanka Kakkar concluded.
