The AAP on Monday blamed the BJP and the central government for the charges hurled by sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying this is part of a larger conspiracy to "finish off" the party and to "silence" the opposition.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh told the media that the kind of allegations Mishra had made made it clear that he was being used to harass Kejriwal and other ministers in the Delhi government.
"Mishra is now speaking the language of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. He is saying the same thing the two parties had been saying for months. This makes it clear who is behind all this," Sanjay Singh said.
A day after he was sacked, Mishra alleged that he saw Kejriwal taking Rs 2 crore from Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
Mocking the claim, Sanjay Singh wondered if Kejriwal invited Mishra to witness the so-called bribe-taking or to count the currency notes.
"Party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) will sit today (Monday) and discuss about the action against Kapil Mishra," Singh said responding to a question about possible action against the sacked Delhi minister.
Mishra also alleged that Jain had facilitated a land deal worth Rs 50 crore for a Kejriwal relative.
"Making such serious allegations, Mishra did not even feel it important to clarify when the deal was conducted and which relative of Kejriwal was involved," Singh said.
On Monday, Mishra filed a complaint regarding what is known as the Water Tanker Scam with the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), saying Kejriwal delayed action in the case.
Sanjay Singh said it was Mishra who had repeatedly said that Kejriwal "had nothing to do with the scam" and the ACB was under pressure to "frame him by any possible means".
"The ACB is under the central government which is ruled by the BJP. It is the BJP which is behind all this."
Sanjay Singh said that at a time when the country was facing serious internal and external security threats, the only priority for the BJP and the central government was to finish off the AAP.
"Our only fault is that we are fighting for the rights of the poor and the marginalised and are raising our voice against the politics of hate. They want to silence our voice."
Kejriwal had "zero tolerance for corruption", the AAP leader added.
"Corruption allegations were levelled against Manish Sisodia, Arvind Kejriwal and Kumar Vishwas during the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, but nothing came of it," Singh said.
Rejecting the BJP's demand for Kejriwal's resignation, Singh said that "severe" allegations of corruption were made against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley by suspended BJP member Kirti Azad, but nothing happened.
"Despite serious allegations of corruption against Jaitley, he is still holding the post of Finance Minister. So, we do not need to learn the lessons of morality and principles from the BJP and the Congress," Singh said.
--IANS
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