Central agencies can frame, arrest Sisodia soon, claims Kejriwal; BJP lashes out

The national capital's political atmosphere heated up Thursday after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed Central agencies can soon arrest his Deputy Manish Sisodia in some ''fake cases'', inviting a sharp reaction from the BJP which accused him of spreading lies to seek people's sympathy. In a media briefing, Kejriwal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should get all Delhi ministers arrested and probed, as ''public work was being hampered with ministers getting arrested one by one''.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta lashed out Karjiwal over his claims, saying he was making prophecies instead of focusing on the problems of water and electricity.

''He is trying to seek sympathy by dishing out lies before the people of Delhi and the country. I want to tell him that his game of playing to the galleries for sympathy has ended now,'' Gupta told reporters. Kejriwal said he has been informed by Sisodia's arrest by ''credible sources'', which had also alerted him about Delhi minister Satyendar Jain arrest months ago.

''The Centre is fabricating false charges against Sisodia just like they did to arrest Satyendar Jain. The Centre has directed all its agencies to allot all their resources on framing bogus cases to arrest Sisodia,'' he told the media briefing.

Calling Sisodia the pioneer of India's education revolution and ''perhaps the best education minister'' of independent India, the chief minister said his deputy is a ray of hope not just for Delhi, but for the children of the entire country.

Jain, who held several portfolios including Health, Power, Industries and Home, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) last Monday in a money laundering case.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and MLA Atishi also alleged that the Centre plans to rake up a three-year-old case to implicate Sisodia.

Kejriwal said he failed to understand the politics behind the arrest of Jain, but dropped the hint that it was BJP's move to hit his party's campaign in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and a ''revenge'' for the AAP's victory in Punjab Assembly elections.

''Some people are saying this is happening in the run up to the Himachal Pradesh polls. Some call it a consequence of our victory in Punjab. We do not understand politics. We do not care for it. We are not scared of going to jail,'' he said.

Kejriwal also blamed the BJP-led Central government of trying to ''hamper'' the AAP government's good works in Health and Education field by framing and catching its ministers in ''bogus'' cases.

''I appeal to the prime mister to get us all arrested and probed by any agency, instead of putting us in jail one by one. Let us get done with this Jail-Jail game. When will we have the time to work for the people if it goes on like this,'' he said, expressing his anguish.

Gupta charged Kejriwal is trying to prove his minister innocent by ''lying'' to have sympathy of the people.

''Kejriwal ji you are declaring Satyendar Jain who is arrested under corruption charges, a messiah. Do the four companies not belong to Jain? Did not Jain himself submit details of his benami property and black money in the Income Tax department scheme in 2016,'' Gupta charged.

Earlier, Union minister Smriti Irani too hit out at Kejriwal saying he was evading her questions over arrest of Jain.

At a press briefing, AAP MLA Atishi showed a purported document in which the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) had sought additional details and documents from Delhi BJP leaders Harish Khurana and Neelkant Bakshi regarding a complaint filed by them against Sisodia and Jain.

In their complaint filed in July 2019, the BJP leaders had alleged that Sisodia and Jain were involved in a scam of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms and buildings.

''Where was this case for the last three years? Nothing happened in this case since all the agencies know that there is no corruption. Why is the Centre after AAP MLAs?'' Atishi questioned.

Delhi BJP leader Bakshi said the documents sought by the ACB will be handed over to it next week and the law will take its own course afterwards.