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BJP demands that Kejriwal resign on ‘moral grounds’
After the Supreme Court granted bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, BJP reiterated calls for his resignation, citing ethics and ongoing corruption allegations.
Hours after the Supreme Court granted bail to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday reiterated its longstanding position — that he resigns as CM on “moral grounds”.
Kejriwal, who was arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the promulgation of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, stepped out of prison on Friday evening after months of incarceration after the apex court granted him bail. However, the court has imposed certain conditions to the bail — the CM cannot leave the country, he cannot visit his office or the Delhi secretariat, and he is not at liberty to sign any official files, unless required and necessary for obtaining clearance or approval of the lieutenant governor.
Demanding Kejriwal’s resignation, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused the AAP of having no ethics left.
“This is a conditional bail because the jailed CM is now a bailed CM… Does Delhi need a CM who is an accused and is completely corrupt? What kind of a party is this, where most of the senior leaders are on bail… This party has no ethics left and the people of Delhi will not tolerate this,” Bhatia said.
Addressing a press conference, BJP leader and New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj called Kejriwal the “kingpin of the liquor scam”.
“Even the Supreme Court has found that Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was legally justified. Kejriwal had filed two petitions, one questioning the legality of his arrest and the other seeking bail, but the trial court, high court, and now the Supreme Court have all upheld that his arrest was legal. The court has also agreed that the arrest in the ED and CBI cases was legal,” said Swaraj.
She added that Arvind Kejriwal is a “careless CM of an indifferent government” that is “corrupt to the core”.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that Kejriwal may have got bail, but he has no right to continue as the CM if he cannot work for the people. “Kejriwal getting conditional bail is not a special achievement, the trial will go on and he will soon get a long sentence. He should remember that he has now joined the list of chief ministers like Lalu Prasad, Madhu Koda who got bail and were later convicted,” said Sachdeva.
Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari said that the CM is and accused in the case but he is a “guilty” of making the people of Delhi suffer. Praveen Khandelwal, Chandni Chowk MP called the bail order a “strong” one as it lays out conditions wherein Kejriwal cannot work as the CM.
AAP leader Atishi, in turn, hit back at the BJP. “The BJP’s central government and its agencies have left no stone unturned in harassing AAP in the last two years... Today the court has confirmed that CBI is a political pawn,” said Atishi.
While addressing a press conference along with Atishi, Bharadwaj said: “All the accused under trial in the so-called excise case, except one, have now got bail.”
