Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the ED's actions were politically motivated. (File Photo) With the Punjab Assembly elections round the corner, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is about to arrest Health Minister Satyendar Jain.
“We have learnt through our sources that the ED is about to arrest Satyendar Jain. They are welcome to do so. The Centre had raided Jain’s properties twice but returned empty handed. If they want to come again, they are welcome,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also alleged that the ED’s actions were politically motivated. “Whenever the BJP is on the verge of losing elections, they unleash their agencies. It is obvious that there will be raids and arrests. We are not scared because when you are walking the path of truth, these hurdles will always come up,” he said.
The Chief Minister added, “The BJP government at the Centre is welcome to send other agencies such as the CBI, Income Tax and the Delhi Police along with ED. If they want to arrest someone besides Satyendar Jain, they can do that as well. We have never done anything wrong. I have been raided, so has Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain. Twenty one of our MLAs have been arrested. All these matters have been discharged by the court. In this case too, he will be arrested and will get bail in 5-10 days.”
Pointing to the ED raids against Punjab CM Charanjit Channi’s nephew, Kejriwal said the two cases were very different.
“We are neither scared of going to jail, nor of your raids. We will not whine like Channiji. We will not panic… Why is he panicking? Because he has indulged in wrongdoing and has been caught. When the ED conducted a raid there, they were counting thick wads of notes. The people of Punjab were shocked. We are not scared. Why just Satyendar Jain, send them to me or to the house of Bhagwant Maan (AAP’s Punjab CM face),” Kejriwal said.
The CM, however, did not disclose any details regarding the case in which the ED would arrest Jain. The ED had, in 2017, registered a case against Jain under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI complaint stated that Jain could not explain the source of funds received by four companies in which he was a shareholder. It had registered a case against him, his wife and four others on charges of money laundering.
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