AAP alleges political vendetta' over Kejriwal's principal secretary arrest
New Delhi: The arrest of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s principal secretary Rajendra Kumar and deputy secretary Tarun Sharma along with three other private individuals by the CBI in a Rs 50-crore corruption case is all set to escalate ongoing political confrontation between the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP in Delhi and also in the states set for the Assembly elections next year.
Terming the arrest an “unprecedented (development) in 23 years,” Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said Mr Kumar’s arrest clearly indicated that the Centre was trying to paralyse the CM’s office as it feared defeat at the hands of the AAP in the upcoming Assembly polls.
Read: CBI nabs Arvind Kejriwal’s principal secretary for graft
“This is the lowest levels to which a Central government has stooped, from the time Delhi has had an elected government in 1991,” Mr Sisodia said. He had tweeted earlier, “Modi ji, let me tell you - we’ve been elected by ppl of Delhi, we shall run an effective govt for them despite all your attacks on us! (sic)”
The heads of the local Congress and BJP units, for once, had the same reaction on the arrests. Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said it was high time for chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to tell the people of Delhi why he was constantly defending the “corrupt” official. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said Mr Kejriwal now stood exposed as he had all through protected the tainted bureaucrat. “Mr Kejriwal owes an explanation to the Delhiites,” he added.
Like Mr Kejriwal, the 1989 IAS officer of UT cadre, Mr Kumar is also an IIT alumnus. Considered “blue-eyed boy” of the chief minister, Mr Kumar was appointed as his principal secretary in February. During Mr Kejriwal’s first stint as the chief minister that lasted only 49 days, Mr Kumar was the secretary to the CM.
After Mr Kumar’s arrest was made public, Mr Sisodia was the first AAP leader to launch a direct attack on the Central government. “Yesterday, there was a successful rally of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab. The situation in Goa is also set. The AAP will win Goa as well. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government is so scared that now they are hatching conspiracies to paralyse the chief minister’s office.”
Not only this. Mr Sisodia said the AAP government had received an order earlier on Monday that transferred nine officers of the Delhi government. “In two days, 11 officers of the Delhi government have been transferred. Transfers, postings is not a new thing. But the way the government offices have been removed, is a way to paralyse the government.”
The deputy chief minister also questioned the timing of Mr Kumar’s arrest, saying a conspiracy is being hatched to destabilise the whole system. “See the timing, yesterday (Sunday) a survey comes from Punjab that the AAP will get 100 seats out of 117. We are getting good response from Goa and Gujarat. They (BJP) are taking revenge against this. They are not allowing us to work in Delhi.”
Senior AAP leader Ashutosh described Mr Kumar’s arrest as “political vendetta” and attacked Mr Modi, questioning whether he hates Pakistan more or the AAP.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN THE ASIAN AGE.
