You have all agencies, we have God: Kejriwal to PM Modi on ED raids against Jain

The Delhi CM's comment came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) released a statement saying it has recovered ₹2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins during raids on premises belonging to Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain and his associates.

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged that the BJP-led central government is after the AAP governments in the national capital and in Punjab.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. (HT File Photo)

His comment came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) released a statement saying it has recovered ₹2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins during raids on premises belonging to Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain and his associates who are being investigated by the central agency in an alleged money laundering case.

“At this time, the prime minister is after the AAP with all his might -- particularly the Delhi and Punjab governments. Lies upon lies upon lies. You have the strength of all the agencies. But God is with us,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

In a press conference, AAP spokesperson and Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said ED found only ₹2.79 lakh at Jain’s residence but the agency could not seize it since the money was accounted for. He termed the ED raid a “complete failure”.

“ED conducted search operations at Satyendar Jain’s house from 7 in the morning to 2 in the night but could not find anything incriminating against him. PM Modi’s ED gave a clean chit to Jain through its Seizure Memo. It clearly states that ₹2.79 lakh were found but not seized as they were accounted for. The Modi government’s image was shattered at the international level due to BJP so it started a fake news campaign against Jain claiming cash and gold was found in the raid,” Bharadwaj said.

Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the BJP is making accusations against Jain in its frustration of ED not finding anything in the raid. “They’re maliciously calling a random person to be his [Jain’s] aide to implicate him,” he said

Jain, who held various portfolios including health, home and power in the Delhi government, was arrested last week after the ED alleged his involvement in a money laundering case. All his portfolios have now been given to deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia for the time being.

A Delhi court has sent Jain to ED’s custody till June 9. The central agency’s probe is based on a 2017 case of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in which it was alleged that the AAP leader and his wife Poonam Jain had amassed disproportionate assets worth ₹1.47 crore between February 2015 and May 2017, which was more than double their known sources of income.

In a statement, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said the unrest in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) shows that the misdeeds of many other leaders will also come to the fore soon.

“Kejriwal had been saying that he had seen all the files and there was nothing wrong. If Jain is so honest, then he should be given the Padma Shri. But in view of... (ED’s) raid, he should be given the ‘Param Bhrasht’ award,” Gupta said.

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