‘Gangs run from jail, not govts’: BJP leaders slam AAP over protest against Kejriwal’s arrest

Delhi BJP criticizes AAP for protesting Kejriwal's arrest in corruption case, claiming party has lost moral grounds.

The Delhi BJP on March 23 slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for protesting against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the party has lost all moral grounds as its leader has been arrested in a "corruption" case. Mr. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 23 in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi government's excise policy 2021-22, which has now been scrapped. A court sent Mr. Kejriwal to ED custody till March 28 in the case.

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Mr. Kejriwal knew the corruption happened in framing and executing the Excise policy as his former deputy Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh went to jail for it, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said. "He [Mr. Kejriwal] skipped nine Enforcement Directorate summonses. He will now have to answer to the ED because he was involved in corruption that is why he has been arrested," he said. There is an old saying "Chor Machaye Shor" (the culprit makes a lot of noise to cover up crime) and the AAP's "shameless" protest against the arrest of Kejriwal is a fitting example, the BJP leader said. The AAP and its leaders are "crying" over Kejriwal's arrest but they have lost all moral grounds, and the people of Delhi have lost faith in them, he said.

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Taking a dig at AAP leaders for saying that Mr. Kejriwal will run the Delhi government from behind bars, North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said "we have seen gangs being run from jail, not any government". Mr. Tiwari claimed that Delhi's people were happy with the arrest and firecrackers were burst and sweets sweets distributed.

Mr. Sachdeva alleged that the AAP continuously "violated and insulted" the Constitution and the law to cover up its corruption. But every thing stands exposed with the court sending Kejriwal to one-week ED custody, he said.

Delhi BJP secretary and party candidate from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat Bansuri Swaraj said that when Kejriwal who talked big against corruption is running away from investigation. Ms. Swaraj said Mr. Kejriwal is now facing the consequences of "betraying" his Guru Anna Hazare. Mr. Hazare had led the "India Against Corruption" campaign in 2011-12, and Kejriwal among others was one its prominent leaders.