A day after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, the top leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came out in support of cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora on Sunday, stating that he preferred going to jail over joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Taking to X, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who had accused the central government of misusing the agency to scare his party leaders into joining the BJP, said a person’s character was revealed in difficult times.
“Sanjeev Arora preferred going to jail over joining the BJP. Salute to him,” he posted.
Arora was arrested by the ED from his official residence in Chandigarh on Saturday following fresh searches at his residence and the corporate offices of Hampton Sky Realty Limited, a firm run by the businessman-turned-politician’s family.
AAP’s Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia accused the BJP of betraying the trust of the people of Punjab by arresting a hardworking, results-oriented and visionary leader on false cases. “Punjabis know how to teach a lesson not just to those who betray them, but even to those who betray others,” he said in a social media post, praising Arora for his clear vision, deep understanding and passion for Punjab.
He said ask any industrialist, there would hardly be anyone who does not praise Arora’s industry policy and his way of working.
AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bhardwaj said that Arora’s arrest had nothing to do with his as minister or the government in Punjab, calling the charges “false & baseless”. The case was cooked because the minister refused to join the BJP, he alleged.
Senior AAP leader and state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Whenever the BJP faces political defeat or resistance, it unleashes central agencies on opposition leaders. Bengal was targeted first and now Punjab is being attacked because the BJP cannot digest the growing popularity of AAP and the pro-people work being done by the Bhagwant Mann government.”
Cheema asserted, “The BJP is trying to weaken democratically elected governments through intimidation because it could not defeat them politically. Punjab’s people were watching how constitutional institutions were being misused for vendetta politics.”
Punjab power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said the ED action was an attempt to intimidate people into joining the BJP under “Operation Lotus”, which the AAP strongly condemned.
www.hindustantimes.com
#Chose #jail #BJPKejriwal #backs #Arora
