Team News Riveting
New Delhi, April 16
Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken asked the party not to “support” and “show any sympathy” to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday in the Delhi liquor policy case.
As doing so would “confuse” the Congress cadre and “benefit” the BJP, Maken said. Just a day ago, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had dialled Kejriwal and discussed the need for opposition unity to face the BJP in the national election next year. He also expressed solidarity with Kejriwal on getting the CBI summons in the liquor policy case, in which the Delhi Chief Minister’s former deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested last month.
The statement of Maken is likely to tense the relation between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress amid the call for opposition unity.
“I believe that individuals like Kejriwal and his associates who face serious corruption charges should not be shown any sympathy or support. The allegations of Liquorgate and Gheegate must be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty should be punished,” Maken said in a statement, referring to the liquor policy case and an alleged code word – “15 gm ghee” for Rs 15 crore in cash – used by jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekar in his communication with politicians and middlemen.
“It is important for all political leaders, including those from the Indian National Congress (INC), to recognize that the money gained through corrupt means by Kejriwal has been used against the Congress Party in several states, including Punjab, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi,” he said, adding that he would also urge the Congress lawyers and senior advocates to refrain from representing Kejriwal in the court of law.
