Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) while reacting to social activist Anna Hazare's remarks on the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said they are pained and sad by such behaviour and comments made by the social activist.
AAP leader Dilip Pandey said that though everyone respects the octogenarian activist, he never raised his voice against the ruling party when leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma against whom BJP has once campaigned and levelled corruption allegations, was made the CM after joining the saffron camp, and Ajit Pawar against whom several corruption charges were made, became Maharashtra's deputy CM after he got along with the saffron camp.
Read here: Anna Hazare reacts to Arvind Kejriwal's arrest: ‘Own deeds’
"It's very unfortunate, he is respected by all of us but it's sad and we are also pained sometimes when people like Himanta Biswa Sarma against whom the BJP has campaigned in the past gets into the BJP and become the CM, no one raise the voice. When people like Ajit Pawar get along with the BJP, this very respected person (Anna Hazare) says nothing. This behaviour is painful and sad..." Pandey told ANI.
The AAP leader's remarks came hours after Hazare slammed Kejriwal saying that the arrest of the AAP chief was because of his own "deeds."
{{/usCountry}}The AAP leader's remarks came hours after Hazare slammed Kejriwal saying that the arrest of the AAP chief was because of his own "deeds."
{{/usCountry}}“I had told him that our job is not to make excise policy. Even a small child knows that liquor is bad. I had asked him to stay away from this (excise policy) issue. But he went ahead and made the policy. He thought that he will earn more money and that is why he made this policy. I felt sad and wrote to him twice. I felt sad that a person like Kejriwal, who once worked with me and raised our voice against alcohol, is now making the excise policy. He got arrested due to his deeds. Had he not done anything, there was no question of his being arrested. Now law will take its course and the government will do the needful,” Hazare told PTI.
Read here: ‘Karma’: Ex-Congress leader recalls Anna Hazare protests as Kejriwal arrested by ED
Kejriwal joined the Anna movement in 2011 against the then-Congress-led UPA government's alleged corruption. He rode on to fame, floated his own political party in 2012, and contested for the chief minister's post in Delhi in 2013.
The ED arrested Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case on Thursday night, in which two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already in judicial custody. He was arrested after skipping nine summonses issued against him by the probe agency and Delhi High Court, which refused to grant him relief from any coercive action.