NEW DELHI: Congress and BJP on Friday reacted sharply to the acquittal of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise policy case. AAP’s on-and-off INDIA bloc ally Congress, however, expressed resentment over the leaders’ discharge alleging that the ruling BJP is a “Icchadhari Naag” who uses central investigative agencies for political purposes. BJP, however, maintained that the “legal battle is not over.”Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that Kejriwal‘s release ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab and Gujarat was part of a “strategy to weaken” the grand old party.
Cong calls BJP ‘Icchadhari Naag’
In a post on X, Khera said the BJP is focused on achieving a “Congress-mukt Bharat” and claimed that cases against Congress leaders tend to intensify before elections, while proceedings against its “convenient allies” slow down. “The BJP is not a political party. It is a shape-shifter, a wishful serpent – Icchadhari Naag. It will stoop to any level for one obsessive goal: defeat Congress – Congress Mukt Bharat,” Khera said.“For 12 years the ruling BJP “spewed venom at the TMC. And now? Narendra Modi himself is showering it with praise – not out of respect, but to land a cheap blow at Congress,” he posted on X.“Elections are coming. So the script is predictable. Cases against Congress leaders will suddenly accelerate and meanwhile, proceedings against their convenient ‘allies’ in the AAP and others will quietly vanish in light of the Gujarat and Punjab elections,” Khera said, adding that P Chidambaram has already been dragged back into the spotlight because Tamil Nadu is heading for polls.“This is the BJP playbook: vendetta as governance and agencies as campaign tools,” he further alleged.His remarks came after Kejriwal and Sisodia were acquitted of all charges by the Rouse Avenue court in the corruption charges linked to the Delhi excise policy case.Hailing the verdict as “truth always wins,” Kejriwal became visibly emotional while speaking to reporters outside the court premises.“We have always said that the BJP treats investigative agencies as if they are part of its own cadre. With elections coming up in Punjab and Gujarat, Arvind Kejriwal is being presented after cleaning from the ‘Washing Machine’, because the BJP’s real objective is a Congress-free India. Everything is linked to elections and how to weaken the Congress. That is the BJP’s sole objective,” Khera told reporters.
BJP says ‘legal process is far from over’
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said the allegations of kickbacks were serious and argued that the acquittal came from a lower court.“The kickbacks are not a figment of imagination, they are issues placed before the courts and the public. More importantly, Kejriwal’s ‘one on one free’ scheme harmed families across Delhi. His policies increased liquor prices and hurt households. He deserves the strictest punishment for running what was a morally bankrupt government,” Malviya posted on X.He noted that higher courts, including the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court, had made strong observations in related proceedings. “Whether this judgment withstands scrutiny in higher courts remains to be seen. The legal process is far from over,” he said.Malviya also questioned why the Delhi government rolled back the excise policy after irregularities were flagged and raised concerns over the alleged destruction of phones and SIM cards.BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that Kejriwal “deserves the strictest punishment for running what was a morally bankrupt government.”“The lower court has acquitted him in the absence of proof. This is a technical subject, and it is also right that mobile phones and SIM cards in hundreds were destroyed…” he said.“The CBI will take appropriate steps to address this issue of destruction of evidence. As far as the party is concerned, it will give a structured reply after it has all the details… If the entire charges were baseless, how did the Court give permission to frame them?…” he added.
