'Biggest political conspiracy': teary Arvind Kejriwal after court discharge in liquor policy case
New Delhi (PTI): An emotional Arvind Kejriwal on Friday asserted that the corruption case against him was the "biggest political conspiracy" in the history of Independent India, as a court here discharged him in the politically sensational liquor policy case.
After the court verdict, Kejriwal broke down while talking to the reporters. The AAP convener was present in the court when the order was passed.
"The court has proved that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and AAP are 'Kattar Imaandar'," he said, accompanied by former deputy chief minister of Delhi Sisodia.
Kejriwal alleged that the "conspiracy" of the excise case was hatched to finish off AAP at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"I always used to say that the god is with us. Modi ji and Amit Shah ji together hatched the biggest political conspiracy of Independent India. The five biggest leaders of AAP were sent to jail for finishing off the party," the former Delhi chief minister alleged.
First time a sitting Chief Minister was "dragged out of his home and put in jail," Kejriwal said and reminded people of his and Sisodia's jailing.
The entire case was fake, asserted Kejriwal, who was arrested in the alleged liquor scam case in March 2024 by the Enforcement Directorate.
"Mud slinging was resorted to against us. There were round-the-clock TV debates, and news was flashed that Kejriwal is corrupt," he said, breaking down.
He continued in a hoarse voice, "I have only earned honesty. They registered a fake case. Today, it's proved, the court has said 'Kejriwal Kattar Imandar Hai, Manish Sisodia Kattar Imandar Hai, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Kattar Imandar Hai.'"
The AAP supremo said he wanted to tell the prime minister not to toy with the country and the Constitution in his pursuit of power.
"If you want power, do good things. There are so many problems -- inflation, unemployment, broken down roads, pollution -- solve these problems to come to power," he said.
The AAP chief was greeted by his family at his residence on Feroz Shah Road. Party members and supporters danced to drum beats and distributed sweets.
Sunita Kejriwal, his wife, thanked the court and the judge for "bravery."
"Arvind Kejriwal led his entire life with honesty and for the progress of the country. But these people, in their greed for power, levelled fake charges, jailed his aides... But I had faith in God," she told PTI Videos.
Before the court vindication, the multi-crore-rupee corruption allegations led to the jailing of Kejriwal and Sisodia for an extended period of time.
After he went to prison, Kejriwal resigned from the post of Delhi chief minister, vowing to return to the post only when he was proven innocent.
Kejriwal became the first sitting Delhi chief minister to be arrested on March 21, 2024. He got bail from the Supreme Court on September 13 of the same year.
Sisodia, a former deputy chief minister, served around 17 months in jail before being released on bail.
On Friday, a Delhi court discharged both leaders in the excise policy-related corruption case, refusing to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet.
Special Judge Jitendra Singh said that the chargesheet had several lacunae not supported by evidence, as he discharged 21 more besides the two Aam Aadmi Party leaders in the matter.
K Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and a leader from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, was also among the acquitted.
The CBI has been probing alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the erstwhile-AAP government's now-scrapped excise policy.
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Minister Sivankutty welcomes PM Modi to 'developed Nemom', BJP hits back
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow here for April 9 Assembly elections, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty and BJP state leadership on Saturday locked horns on social media over development issues.
Sivankutty, LDF candidate from Nemom, in a Facebook post welcomed Modi for the roadshow in the constituency later in the day and highlighted a series of development projects.
The BJP state unit took a swipe at the minister through another Facebook post sarcastically questioning his claims.
In the FB post, Sivankutty said he was happy that the Prime Minister would conduct a roadshow from Killipalam junction towards Pappanamcode, as it would provide an opportunity to witness the development initiatives carried out in Nemom.
The senior CPI(M) leader is also the sitting MLA in Nemom, one of the constituencies where BJP pins its hopes the most in the upcoming Assembly polls.
The minister invited PM Modi to witness what he described as a "developed Nemom".
He listed several projects along the proposed route of the PM's scheduled roadshow, including a newly established ITI at Chala built at a cost of Rs 18 crore and the state office of SSK, which he said was constructed by the Kerala government after alleged denial of central assistance.
The minister further pointed to infrastructure such as the Deputy Director of Education's office complex, and a new building for Chala school constructed at a cost of Rs 4.8 crore.
He also highlighted road development and beautification works from Karamana junction to Pravachambalam, undertaken at a cost of Rs 5 crore, along with new street lighting installations.
Sivankutty said additional projects included multi-storey school buildings at various institutions, road upgradation works, and a career development centre built at a cost of Rs 6 crore.
While welcoming the Prime Minister, Sivankutty also urged him to explain the delay in disbursing Rs 1,500 crore allegedly due to Kerala under the SSK scheme, stating that the funds are meant for supporting children from economically weaker and marginalised sections.
He further claimed that salaries of around 7,000 teaching and non-teaching staff under the scheme are currently being paid by the state government.
In its social media post, the BJP's state leadership responded sarcastically to Sivankutty's claims of development by listing a series of prominent landmarks in and around Thiruvananthapuram, suggesting that the PM could see them by simply turning in different directions.
"Turn a little to the right and you can see the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Go straight from there and you will see the Vizhinjam seaport. Turn left and you can see the Thumba rocket launch centre. From there, if you go straight, you will reach Thiruvananthapuram railway station. Turn right and you will see the Padmanabhaswamy temple," it said.
"Go straight and you will reach Kovalam international beach. And if you look up from there, you can see the sky," the post said in Malayalam.
