Kejriwal calls Satyendar Jain's arrest 'BJP's vendetta', says case will be proved fake

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged that former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was arrested at the behest of the BJP and claimed the case against him would also be proved "fake".

Jain and ex-Delhi Jal Board CEO Udit Prakash Rai are among six persons arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with an alleged corruption case involving the tendering process for sewage treatment plant projects of the Delhi Jal Board, an officer said on Tuesday.

The other accused arrested are Ankit Srivastava, a former contractual consultant with the DJB, and private persons Nagendra Yadav, Raja Kumar Kurra and Pankaj Verma, the ACB said in a statement.

Kejriwal said, "Jain had once again been arrested at the behest of the BJP and claimed the earlier case against him was also fabricated." He said the latest case too would eventually be proved false and questioned who would compensate Jain for the time spent in jail and the alleged mental torture.

Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP is using "dictatorship and falsely implicating people" and said the AAP and people of the country stood firmly with Jain.

The case was registered on May 11, 2024, on a complaint by the Directorate of Vigilance, over alleged large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process related to augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants of the DJB.

Jain had appeared before the Delhi government's ACB on June 6 last year for questioning in the case after being summoned by the agency.

Atishi, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, described Jain's arrest as another example of the BJP's "political vendetta".

She alleged that Jain had earlier been framed in a false case and sent to jail and claimed that the same was being repeated.

"In the arrogance of power, the BJP may have forgotten that there is a limit to lies and oppression," Atishi said, adding that while government power could be used to intimidate people, "the truth cannot be suppressed forever".

She said the issue was not just Jain's fight but of everyone who opposed the alleged misuse of power, and asserted that AAP stood firmly with him.

AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that Jain, who was the Punjab election co-in-charge, had been arrested just ahead of the state polls.

He also alleged that Jain had earlier spent two-and-a-half years in jail in a "fake case" and that another such case had now been brought against him.

Referring to issues including the GenZ movement, alleged Ram temple donation irregularities and the E20 issue, Sisodia alleged that the BJP, which was "cornered on all fronts", had again resorted to its "old election-time tactics" involving central agencies.

AAP national spokesperson Anurag Dhanda alleged that the tender related to the case was issued in October 2022, while Jain had been in jail since May that year in an earlier case.

He described the action as a "baseless conspiracy" driven by political malice and alleged that the BJP was unable to face an election in Punjab and had, therefore, targeted its co-in-charge. PTI