New Delhi [India]: After the arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped new excise policy of the Delhi government, the BJP on Wednesday came out all guns blazing against the ruling party.
Claiming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to be the “kingpin” in the liquor ‘scam’ case, the BJP said he was next on the ED’s radar and would be “held to account” for his alleged role in the matter.
Speaking to media, the BJP’s Delhi chief Virendraa Sachdeva said, “It is clear for all to see today that the truth cannot be hidden. After Sanjay Singh, it is now Arvind Kejriwal’s turn to face the music.”
Fellow party leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa the ruling party in the national capital would now play up Singh’s arrest in a bid to extract public sympathy.
“The AAP is playing up the arrest of Sanjay Singh by the ED as a political vendetta. They are speaking as if they saw it coming. They had to as when you hand out liquor licences illegally and raise crores in the bargain, you have to go to jail. You will be held to account for your decisions and actions,” Sirsa told media.
“They are now trying to gain public sympathy by pleading their innocence. They lied to the people. Arvind Kejriwal, you will be held to account for your actions,” the BJP leader said.
Also hitting out at the AAP, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, “They would speak as if nobody embodies honesty and probity like them. Today, their co-accused have turned approvers.”
He added that the spotlight will not only remain on Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, and Satyendar Jain but will also now shift to the “Kingpin”, Kejriwal. “Arvind Kejriwal seems to be the kingpin and will soon have to face the heat.”
BJP leader RP Singh said, “You committed scams, received funds in the name of the party, and indulged in corruption worth crores. Now you (Sanjay Singh) will be behind bars and have to break bread in a padded cell. What happened today was inevitable.”
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Singh in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-withdrawn new excise policy of Delhi, officials said.
It was the second high-profile arrest in the case after former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
The arrest came hours after the ED conducted raids at the residence of the AAP Rajya Sabha MP in connection with the case.
Earlier, in May, Sanjay Singh, in a letter to Finance Secretary TV Somanathan, said the ED director and assistant director deliberately linked his name to the alleged liquor scam without any basis, tarnishing his public image and defaming him.
Singh mentioned that his name was added on the basis of statements from Dinesh Arora.
The AAP leader alleged further that the officers misused their position to tarnish his public image and demanded prosecution against them.
He added that he had already sent a legal notice to the officers concerned to issue an open and public apology.
According to ED sources, the name of the AAP leader appears four times in the ED chargesheet, one of which was typed inadvertently. At one place Sanjay Singh’s name was mentioned instead of Rahul Singh, who was the then excise commissioner.
