A day after he walked out of Tihar jail on bail, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday (September 14, 2024) asserted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will continue to function like before and no work of the people of Delhi will get affected.
The Supreme Court granted the AAP national convenor bail on Friday (September 13, 2024) in a corruption case lodged by the CBI in connection with the excise policy ‘scam’. The court, however, set certain conditions, saying Mr. Kejriwal cannot visit his office or the Delhi Secretariat or sign any official file unless absolutely necessary to obtain the lieutenant governor’s (LG) sanction.
At a press conference here, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh lashed out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah and demanded his resignation for sending Mr. Kejriwal to jail in a “fake” case.
He alleged that the BJP was spreading lies that Mr. Kejriwal could not sign files or work as the Chief Minister. “Delhi people will make the BJP lose its deposits in the upcoming assembly polls for shamelessly spreading this lie,” Mr. Singh added.
Mr. Singh said Chief Minister Kejriwal has no portfolio and the ministers concerned sign the files of their respective departments. “Kejriwal signs only those files that need to be sent for the approval of the lieutenant governor,” he added.
“The Supreme Court has not stopped him from signing files going to the LG for his approval. So, Mr. Kejriwal as the Chief Minister will continue to work and fight for the people of Delhi, 100%, as he did in his previous tenure,” Mr. Singh said.
He also said that the Supreme Court has neither stopped the Delhi Government nor the Chief Minister from functioning and no work of the people will be stopped. “Mr. Kejriwal has the power to sign all the necessary files that need the approval of the LG,” the AAP leader said.
“As the Chief Minister of Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal has done tremendous work in the health, education, water and power sectors and will continue to do so,” he said.
“The issue right now is implementing the schemes on the ground. The Delhi Government will work efficiently after the arrival of Chief Minister Kejriwal,” Mr. Singh said.
Lashing out at the BJP and the Union home minister, Mr. Singh claimed that the Supreme Court order has caused the “mountain of lies” created over a “fake” excise policy case to collapse.
“Mr. Shah is the real culprit behind sending Mr. Kejriwal to jail. A Home Minister who topples governments, sends Chief Ministers to jail and breaks political parties has no moral right to remain in his post,” he alleged.
The BJP has demanded that Mr. Kejriwal should step down as the Chief Minister of Delhi, saying he cannot function in the post due to his bail conditions.
Published – September 14, 2024 04:06 pm IST