At least Lalu Prasad resigned before going to jail: Sudhanshu Trivedi

Targetting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for refusing to resign on “moral grounds” after a court sent him to judicial custody in an alleged money laundering case linked to Delhi excise policy case, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sudhanshu Trivedi recalled that former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav had resigned before he was about to go to jail.

“Lalu Prasad Yadav had at least resigned when he was about to go to jail but he has not resigned yet,” Trivedi said while addressing a press conference today. The Aam Aadmi Party is part of the INDIA bloc in which Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Lok Dal is also a partner.

Slamming opposition parties who have described Kejriwal’s arrest as a political conspiracy by the BJP, Trivedi said, “Those who try to portray the bogey of victimhood, I would like to underline that today’s judgement of the court is based on concrete evidence of which neither we nor anyone else is privy.”

“It is the jurisprudence of the court that has decided to extend this judicial custody for 15 days. Now it raises certain moral and constitutional questions,” the senior BJP MP said as the Rouse Avenue Court sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 today.

Referring to Kejriwal’s mentor, Anna Hazare, Trivedi said, “His guru had vowed not to enter into politics. But the student not only entered politics but also became the Chief Minister.”

“Yesterday, there was another rally where he changed his ‘Guru’. His guru became Lalu Prasad Yadav,” Trivedi said, taking a dig at the INDIA bloc meeting held on Sunday.

The senior BJP MP further said, “There are media reports that Arvind Kejriwal has mentioned that the prime accused Vijay Nair used to report to Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj.”

Trivedi said that the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) role in the liquor policy case is becoming clear now and it remains to be seen what step he takes on his Chief Ministership.

“The Delhi Government’s situation over liquor policy is becoming clearer and clearer. It has to be seen if Kejriwal resigns or heads towards a new politics,” the BJP leader said. The AAP has so far stressed that Kejriwal will continue to govern Delhi, holding on to his post even while he is in jail.