 "Arrested AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan receives support from ex-Cong legislator")
Former Delhi Congress MLA Asif Khan on Monday come out in support of AAP legislator Amanatullah Khan, who was arrested by the ACB, saying the BJP government at the Centre is "misusing" its agencies to "harass" minorities.
Amanatullah Khan was nabbed by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on September 16 in connection with a graft case.
The ACB is probing alleged irregularities in the recruitment in the Delhi Waqf Board, which Amanatullah Khan heads as the chairman, and conducted raids at four places, including his residence in Okhla.
Asif Khan claimed that the raids by the ACB at the AAP leader's house and other places has created panic among the local people in the area.
However, he clarified that he was not giving a clean chit to the AAP MLA.
"Why is the ACB harassing Khan's family and creating panic in Jamia Nagar area? I am totally against the misuse of agencies, particularly against minorities, by the BJP government at the Centre," said the Congress leader.
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The ACB had claimed that obstructions were created during its raids at the AAP MLA's residence. Four people were arrested for allegedly obstructing officials from discharging duty.
Some Delhi Congress leaders said Asif Khan's decision to support the AAP MLA is his "personal matter" but he should have avoided it.
Meanwhile, Asif Khan said he was a "staunch" Congressman and will remain so.
"I am not supporting the AAP, my support is for Khan and his family. There is great resentment among the locals and as a politician I have sympathised with them. This will ultimately benefit the Congress," he said.
Asif Khan is a two-time MLA from the Okhla constituency. In the 2015 Assembly polls, he was defeated by Amanatullah Khan.
According to the ACB, Amanatullah Khan while working as chairman of Delhi Waqf Board illegally recruited 32 people violating all norms and government guidelines and amid allegations of corruption and favouritism.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)