NEW DELHI: Delhi government on Monday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government is “fearful of the growing popularity” of Aam Aadmi Party in other states, hence resorting to “witch-hunt” by investigative agencies.
The reaction comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned AAP national secretary Pankaj Gupta to appear before the agency on September 22 at 11:30am at its office in a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002.
“In Delhi, they tried to defeat us with IT department, CBI, Delhi Police, but we won 62 seats. As we grow in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, we get an ED notice! The people of India want honest politics — these tactics of BJP will never succeed, they will make us stronger” tweeted Delhi CM and AAP supremo, Arvind Kejriwal.
Party’s spokesperson and Delhi Jal Board’s vice-chairman, Raghav Chadha, lashing out at the BJP termed ED as a “frontal organisation of BJP”, and alleged the investigative agency is being used as a tool to “character assassinate” the party.
“In order to throw dirt on the political revolution that AAP is bringing into Indian politics, Modi government’s favourite agency, the Enforcement Directorate, has dispatched a ‘love letter’ to the party. The increasing growth of AAP and the growing popularity of Arvind Kejriwal has completely
shaken PM Modi and the BJP so much that they have let go of the reins of their agencies and have asked them to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party” said Chadha.
Stating that the party is not intimidated by such notices, Chadha said, “We believe in the rule of law and welcome their notices with open hands. We just pray to the Lord that the rule of law should prevail over the rule of vendetta politics in this country. We are not intimidated by these ‘alleged financial crimes’ notices of the ED.”
In turn, the Delhi BJP questioned AAP’s reaction about the ED notice.
“Why is Raghav Chadha shouting and screaming over a notice of ED, is there something to hide?” tweeted Praveen Shankar Kapoor, spokesperson, Delhi BJP.