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New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, in her second media appearance on Wednesday, said that the jailed chief minister will make a “big expose” related to the “so-called excise policy scam” before the court on Thursday. She said that he would also present to the court “evidence to show where the proceeds of crime went”.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was on Thursday (March 21) arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.
On Friday (March 22), he was remanded to the ED’s custody till March 28 after he was described by the agency as the “kingpin” and “key conspirator” in the case. The agency will produce him before the court again on Thursday.
Speaking from the CM’s residence, Sunita said she had met her husband in jail on Tuesday evening.
“I went to meet Arvind Kejriwal yesterday evening. He has diabetes, and his sugar levels are irregular, but his determination is strong. Two days ago, he had sent a message to water minister Atishi that the water and sewer issues facing the people of Delhi should be fixed. Tell me, what wrong did he do? The problems of people should be fixed. On this issue, the central government filed a case against your CM. Do they want to devastate Delhi? Do they want people to continue to grapple with their problems? It has hurt Arvind Kejriwal a lot,” said Sunita, in her media appearance through a video.
The jailed chief minister had issued an order from the ED custody, directing water minister Atishi to address water and sewage-related grievances in the city and to make arrangements for water supply in the upcoming summer season.
The Rouse Avenue Court on March 22 allowed Kejriwal to meet his wife and private secretary for half an hour every day and lawyers for another half an hour every day during his six-day-long ED custody. According to people aware of the matter, every day CM’s wife and private secretary besides his lawyers meet him during the designated time.
“He (Kejriwal) told me one more thing….The ED has conducted over 250 raids searching for the proceeds of the so-called excise scam….Till now not a single rupee has been found from any raids. Raids were conducted against Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain, but not a single rupee was found. They conducted raids at our house (CM residence) but only found Rs.73,000. Where did the money of the so-called scam go? Arvind Kejriwal said he will expose this in front of the court on March 28,” Sunita said.
In her first media appearance on Saturday (March 23), following Delhi CM’s arrest, Sunita read out an emotional message from her husband urging people to align with powers that want to take the country forward and on the path of progress, warning of “multiple internal and external forces working to weaken India”.
To be sure, AAP ministers have clarified that Arvind Kejriwal will continue to hold the position of the chief minister because the liquor scam is a political conspiracy and unless he is convicted no existing law bars him from holding the position of the CM from jail.
Making an emotional appeal to AAP supporters, Sunita said Arvind is a very honest, patriotic, and fearless person. “He has said that his body is in jail but his soul is among the people. You close your eyes you will feel him close by,” said Sunita.
BJP leaders who have been demanding the resignation of CM Kejriwal on moral grounds claimed that Sunita was misusing the authority of the CM.
“Sunita Kejriwal once again delivered a statement in a setting that strikingly resembled the official backdrop used by the CM for addressing the media and making public announcements. The setting she used included the prominent display of India’s national flag on either side of her, a symbol reserved for official communications from the CM’s office. The visual arrangement led to perceptions of an unofficial assumption of the voice and authority of the CM during his absence. It amounts to misuse of the position,” Delhi BJP MLA Vijendar Gupta said.
“This conduct by CM and his wife is utterly unconstitutional. It also goes on to show the level of distrust Kejriwal harbours for his own ministers. None of them are considered suitable to occupy the ₹45 crore Sheesh Mahal he built from public funds or even read out his message,” Gupta wrote on X.
Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana said the CM’s wife was playing a victim card. “This kind of politics will not work. The country is asking questions about the liquor scam in which Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have not been able to get bail from the courts for many months. We want to ask Sunita when Kejriwal will resign. Earlier AAP leaders used to say that people holding positions of power should resign immediately after allegations are levelled and let an investigation take place. Now they have changed their stand,” said Khurana.
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