BJP snaps at Kejriwal after AAP chief likens PM Modi to Aurangzeb
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday sharply attacked Arvind Kejriwal after the AAP chief likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb over Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora, with Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu calling Kejriwal “Ahmad Shah Abdali”.The political war of words erupted after the ED conducted fresh searches against Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora and others linked to him as part of a money laundering probe. Arora was later arrested by the agency.Reacting to Kejriwal’s remarks, Bittu alleged that the AAP leadership remembered Mughal rulers because “their own work is like them”.“Punjab saw Ahmad Shah Abdali again and that Ahmad Shah Abdali is Kejriwal,” Bittu told reporters, while accusing the AAP government in Punjab of “loot and plunder”.
Kejriwal compared PM Modi to Aurangzeb
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP was using central agencies to pressure opposition leaders into joining the saffron party.Addressing a press conference in Delhi, the former chief minister compared PM Modi to Aurangzeb and accused him of targeting Punjab through ED raids.“Punjab is the land of the gurus. Several hundred years ago, Aurangzeb seized control of many parts of the country through crime and oppression. Modiji too has deceitfully seized control of many parts of the country,” Kejriwal said.He further alleged that Punjabis were being “ill-treated” and claimed the raids against Arora were politically motivated because the minister refused to join the BJP.The AAP national convenor also claimed that agencies such as the ED and CBI were no longer functioning independently.“Under Modi’s rule, these are working to threaten, scare and break away opposition leaders and force them to join the BJP. The raid against Arora is an action in the same direction,” Kejriwal said.“Either join the BJP or get arrested,” Kejriwal alleged, referring to the ED action.
BJP says AAP ‘rattled’ over corruption cases
BJP leaders dismissed Kejriwal’s allegations and said the ED action was linked to corruption allegations and not political vendetta.Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva claimed Kejriwal appeared nervous because he knew the investigation could eventually reach him as well.“Arvind Kejriwal himself appears to be the mastermind behind this entire extortion conspiracy,” Sachdeva alleged, as reported by news agency PTI.BJP spokesperson R P Singh said it was Kejriwal, and not PM Modi, who was behaving “like Aurangzeb” in Punjab.“The crackdown should not be seen as against the AAP but against corrupt people,” Singh said, while alleging that the Punjab government was steeped in corruption.Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar also defended the ED raids, saying the action pertained to corruption and corrupt practices.
Political tensions rise in Punjab
The ED searches came amid growing political turbulence in Punjab and after several AAP Rajya Sabha MPs recently joined the BJP.Kejriwal alleged that former AAP MP Ashok Mittal joined the BJP after facing ED raids and claimed similar pressure was being exerted on Arora.Meanwhile, former AAP ally and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha accused the AAP government of betraying Punjab and pushing the state towards financial ruin, according to PTI.He alleged that documents emerging after the ED action pointed to “round-tripping” of funds through entities in the UAE, Canada and Australia.