Is Arvind Kejriwal next? Sambit Patra says, ‘Sanjay Singh may implicate a senior within AAP’

In response to the apprehension of AAP MP Sanjay Singh in the Delhi excise policy case, BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged on Thursday that the AAP is engaged in "corruption" and resorts to "political tactics" when confronted with such allegations.

"AAP MP Sanjay Singh has been arrested by the ED yesterday in a liquor scam case... It is AAP's character to do corruption openly and when they are caught, they start politics over it," Sambit Patra said in a press conference in Bhubaneswar.

Also Read: Delhi Excise Policy Scam case: MP Sanjay Singh arrested by ED; third AAP minister to be taken into custody

The BJP spokesperson said the culprits in the Delhi excise policy case will be caught in ascending order depending on the magnitude of their fraud.

PTI reported Patra as saying, “As per media sources, the incriminating documents procured from the house of Sanjay Singh will incriminate someone who is at the top in the hierarchy of AAP.”

Sanjay Singh's arrest marks the second notable detention in the case, following the earlier arrest of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a search at Sanjay Singh's residence on Wednesday morning in connection with the revoked liquor excise policy in the national capital.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday. He specifically directed his comments towards AAP's leader, Arvind Kejriwal, and remarked, “Those whom Kejriwal vouched for as honest individuals are currently in jail.”

Also Read: MP Sanjay Singh arrested in Delhi Excise Policy scam case. What this means for AAP

“People are laughing at Arvind Kejriwal. They can see the tension on his face. The Deputy CM is in jail, the Health Minister is in jail, they are people who came to the front by raising the slogans of India Against Corruption but are now involved in corruption,” Thakur said, adding, “The kingpin is still out now. His number will also come. Investigation is underway. All those people to whom Arvind Kejriwal issued a certificate of honesty are in jail for a year.”

This action came shortly after the ED had carried out similar raids on properties associated with two individuals believed to be close associates of Sanjay Singh, all within the same context.

Sanjay Singh's father Dinesh Singh accused ED of doing the bidding of their "masters".

"They (ED) did what their masters told them. They did not find anything at my residence. When you don't find anything, the search takes time. They did not find anything so it took time," Dinesh Singh said.

Reacting to the arrest AAP MP Sandeep Pathak alleged that the case was nothing but a “process to break and defeat AAP illegally”, adding, “These are testing times. AAP will rise stronger. This has been going on for 15 months now. They raided thousands of locations and tortured people. Nothing has come out and nothing will come out. They have arrested an AAP leader in connection with a policy that has benefitted the government.”

Also Read: How the AAP MP is connected with Delhi Excise Policy Scam case

According to assertions made by the enforcement directorate, Singh and his associates were allegedly involved in influencing the Delhi government's granting of licenses to liquor shops and vendors in 2020. This purportedly resulted in financial losses to the state treasury and a violation of anti-corruption regulations.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal condemned Singh's arrest stating, "The arrest of Sanjay Singh is completely illegal. This shows Modi ji's nervousness. They will arrest many more opposition leaders till the elections".

The arrest of the AAP MP prompted strong responses from leaders within the INDIA alliance.

(With inputs from agencies)