BJP wants to put AAP leaders in jail till Assembly polls: AAP

New Delhi : Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday alleged the BJP-led Centre wanted to put the AAP leaders in jail to ensure they are not present at the time of the assembly elections in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference here, Bharadwaj said that his party MLA Amanatullah Khan was arrested in an “old” case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). “The Centre has only one aim-- to arrest the AAP leaders, ministers and MLAs. The PMLA provisions are quite stringent and it is difficult to secure bail in them. They want to ensure that AAP MLAs are not present in their constituencies at the time of the assembly elections,” he said. Earlier in the day, Bharadwaj had criticised the Centre for allegedly “misusing” the agencies to harass the AAP leaders, describing it as “open hooliganism”. Addressing a press conference regarding the ED’s house search of Khan, Bharadwaj claimed the investigative agencies have till date found no evidence against his party leader in the alleged money laundering case.

The ED on Monday arrested Khan as part of a money laundering investigation against him and some others linked to him, official sources said. He was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after the agency conducted a search at his residence in Okhla area of the national capital. Bharadwaj stated that central agencies were being misused to target the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders.

“It is a matter of concern how the Central government is engaging in hooliganism. They accused Khan of recruiting people in exchange for money despite the court clearly stating that no such thing occurred. The CBI also investigated earlier, but nothing was found against him,” Bharadwaj said.

“They are misusing the agency to harass him (Khan). He lives in a three-room flat in Okhla. His mother, who is suffering from cancer, was seen lying on a bed during the search. How many times will you go there to search and harass the family?” he asked. When asked about AAP councillor Ram Chander’s allegation that he was kidnapped by the BJP members, who threatened him for rejoining the AAP after briefly joining the saffron party, Bharadwaj said the police should investigate the matter as it is a cognisable offence. Bharadwaj further said the BJP’s downfall has begun and people will soon give the party a befitting reply.