Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP, which came to power by claiming to be the champions of honesty, have now emerged as the "epitome of corruption".
Thakur's remarks came after Delhi's lieutenant governor recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in the Arvind Kejriwal government's mohalla clinic initiative.
"Arvind Kejriwal ji and his government, which came into politics by declaring themselves as the champions of honesty, have now descended into the epitome of corruption," Thakur told reporters in Diu.
The BJP has stepped up the heat on Kejriwal after he ignored three summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), asking him to join the probe in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Thakur said, "Scandal after scandal are unravelling and not a single individual to whom they handed out certificates of honesty is getting bail from the courts. Deputy chief minister, ministers and MPs - all are behind bars." The senior BJP leader further said, "First, the fake medicines scandal surfaced and now the fake testing scam is unfolding.
This is a direct assault on people's lives - a government that is unequivocally fake." He alleged that Kejriwal is fostering anarchy and corruption and levelling baseless accusations against constitutional institutions.
"Why is Kejriwal afraid to face the ED? Is he above the law?" Thakur asked.
AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar hit back at Thakur, alleging that the "so-called liquor scam" was the "brainchild of the BJP".
"The BJP has misused laws such as the PMLA, the provisions of which make it extremely difficult to grant bail even if no evidence of money laundering is found," Kakkar said.
She said if leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party were corrupt, they could easily join the BJP and come out bearing a certificate of honesty like Chhagan Bhujbal against whom the ED has dropped all charges after he aligned with the BJP.
"Over 230 cases have been filed on AAP leaders. However, there has not been a single conviction. Even with respect to the so-called liquor scam, not a single penny has been recovered from any of the leaders of the AAP because there is no scam and the entire 'scam' is the brainchild of the BJP," the AAP spokesperson said.
Follow us
