Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has stated that there is no connection between the INDIA bloc coming to power at the Centre and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal avoiding jail time.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday, Puri remarked, "I cannot understand the link that the INDI alliance’s government will be formed and he Arvind Kejriwal will not go to jail. What is the link? He was in jail because he was charge-sheeted, and he got an interim bail of 21 days. It is all delusional.”
Puri also addressed the actions of Kejriwal’s former personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar, who allegedly formatted his phone to remove evidence related to the Swati Maliwal assault case. Puri drew parallels to the ongoing liquor scam investigation, stating, "In the liquor scam, they had destroyed 170 phones, and now Bibhav has formatted his phone… Phones can be reformatted.”
The Union Minister further claimed that there is direct communication between Kejriwal and a hawala operator, as per a media report. He also made a veiled dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in light of the Swati Maliwal incident, suggesting, “Don’t go to see him. You might get beaten up. Ask for an appointment. Even if you ask for an appointment, make sure you have security.”
Puri criticised AAP leader Atishi for not addressing the issue involving Maliwal, stating, "She should be ashamed of herself that a colleague of hers, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been assaulted and she is twisting the conversation around. She will have a lot of answering to do.”
The Union Minister also commented on the alleged luxurious residence of Kejriwal, referred to as ‘Sheesh Mahal’. He said that the full facts regarding the expenditure on this residence, cited to be around 50 crores, are yet to emerge.
Puri compared it to the Moti Mahal palace in Patiala, noting, "Anyone who is an Aam Aadmi has no compunction of building a house Sheesh Mahal. Around 50 crores is the figure cited. The full facts will emerge. I was in Patiala campaigning for Preneet Kaur and I told her that the Moti Mahal palace of her is not a patch compared to the Sheesh Mahal. Sheesh Mahal has an opulence about it.”
In response to Delhi Minister Atishi’s claim that the BJP has halted the Yamuna water supply to Delhi to create a water crisis and target the ruling party, Puri questioned, "Under whose control is the Delhi Jal Board? With you or us?”
Furthermore, Puri claimed that obtaining Kejriwal’s approval for various urban development projects has slowed down progress in Delhi. He stated, "Kejriwal has been a hindrance. Getting his approval has slowed down the process of urban transport in Delhi. When we have the BJP government at the Centre which we will have on June 4 and when we have it in the state, Metro and RRTS will grow even faster.”
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