BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Friday hit out at AAP and said that “we have seen gangs being run from jail and not any government”. He made the comments after the party said Arvind Kejriwal will remain Delhi Chief Minister and run the government from jail if required following his arrest in the liquor policy case.
Tiwari, who is the MP from North East Delhi, and has been fielded again for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, asserted that AAP had lost its moral grounds to continue to run the government.
He claimed that people were celebrating by bursting crackers and distributing sweets in various areas.
“No one is coming out to support Kejriwal. After two or three days, nobody will support AAP and Kejriwal,” Tiwari said.
Accusing AAP leaders Gopal Rai and Atishi of having ulterior motives, Tiwari alleged, “Gopal Rai and Atishi will give statements for only two days because they aspire to become the Chief Minister.”
Questioning the INDIA bloc leaders’ visit to the Election Commission on Kejriwal’s arrest, Tiwari said all of them were “corrupt” and lending their support to Kejriwal due to their “self-interests”.
Asked about Kejriwal’s wife Sunita’s recent tweet on her husband’s arrest, Tiwari said, “”I can understand her pain. She could never have imagined that her husband would be behind bars.”
The BJP MP refuted allegations that his party was involved in getting Kejriwal arrested and said it was due to “court action”. He alleged that people had lost trust in the AAP government.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday night in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi government’s excise policy 2021-22, which has now been scrapped. He has been sent to six-day ED custody.
NO JOINT PROTEST AGAINST KEJRIWAL’S ARREST
Meanwhile, the Congress and other parties of the INDIA bloc have extended their support to Kejriwal and his family following the AAP supremo’s arrest.
While the AAP has staged a nationwide protest against the arrest, the Congress said it will offer only ‘moral, ethical and intellectual’ support will be given to Kejriwal’s party, sources told indiatoday.in.
The AAP is planning to hold massive protests across Delhi from March 23 to 26. Party workers will try to reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on March 26.
“As a coalition partner, the party will extend its support to the arbitrary arrest of Kejriwal at all levels. However, the call for protest on the roads is theirs and our cadre will not be involved in the protest,” a Congress source said.
According to sources, the Congress has placed itself in a position to help the INDIA bloc get sympathy votes in the Lok Sabha elections, but at the same time, it has ruled out a joint protest.
(with inputs from Abhishek Anand)
Meet Mahtab Ahmad, known for his keen insights into the latest trends and news. Join Mahtab on his blog, where every post is a exploration of the ever-evolving now.