BJP-led Centre will have to bite the dust, ED has nothing against Jain: AAP

Alleging that the Centre is using the ED against Satyendar Jain only to harass and defame him, AAP asserted that BJP will eventually have to bite dust as ED has got nothing against Jain

Alleging that the Centre is using the ED against Satyendar Jain only to harass and defame him, the AAP on Wednesday asserted that the BJP-led government will eventually have to bite the dust as the probe agency has got nothing against the Delhi minister.

Replying to questions at a press conference here, AAP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sanjay Singh also slammed the Enforcement Directorate over action against Jain and called it a "puppet" of the Narendra Modi government, alleging that the probe agency seems to be operating from the BJP office.

"The ED found nothing at Satyendar Jain's residence but it was spread that crores of rupees and valuables were seized. The agency is acting at the behest of the BJP only to harass and defame Satyendar Jain under a conspiracy. But, they will not succeed. The entire drama will be over soon," Singh said.

The AAP leader said the probe agency has been investigating the case against Jain for last eight year but found nothing incriminating against him.

"They summoned him seven times in eight years but got nothing. Now they have started a new drama. All of this is a conspiracy to malign the image of Satyendar Jain. They did this with our CM, deputy CM and MLAs in the past. They found nothing then and they will find nothing now," he said.

"The BJP's puppet agencies will have to eventually bite the dust as they had to in the past," he added.

The AAP MP alleged that the BJP-led central government is using probe agencies to harass and defame "innocent people and their families" and to divert people's attention from its "colossal failures" on various fronts.

"Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi and Nitin Sandesra-all of them looted the country and fled with BJP's support. The government failed to act against them," he charged, asking, "When will the CBI and ED take action against B S Yediyurappa, when will these agencies take action in Rafale deal case?"

Singh said the ED carried out as many as 1,700 raids in connection with various cases in the past nine years but the rate of conviction in those cases remained abysmally low at 0.9 per cent.

"Just nine persons were convicted," he added.

The ED on Tuesday said Rs 2.85 crore cash and 133 gold coins were seized after raids at the premises of Jain and his alleged associates as part of a money laundering probe against them but the AAP termed the seizure a "lie" and accused the agency of trying to implicate him in a false case at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ED said those raided on Monday "either directly or indirectly assisted (the minister) or participated in the process of money laundering".

The cash and coins were "unexplained" and were kept in a "secret" place, it said in a statement. The agency, however, did not give a breakup of what was seized from which location.

Jain, 57, was arrested on May 30 under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is in ED custody till June 9.