Kejriwal's discharge proves central agencies misused for political vendetta: Left parties

New Delhi, Feb 27 (PTI) Left party leaders on Friday welcomed the discharge of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and others in the liquor policy case, claiming it proved that the ruling BJP misused central agencies for political vendetta.

Asked about the order, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby said it showed people can still repose faith in the judiciary, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders should apologise to the country.  "It's a very good judgment, it shows that we can still repose faith in the judicial system. However, Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and BJP leaders should apologise to the country because they are continuously targeting the opposition leaders and concocting cases against them," Baby said.

"Kejriwal and AAP in Delhi were posing a big challenge to BJP, even when Narendra Modi is ruling India as a whole, the capital city was refusing to kneel down before the BJP, so they had a conspiracy. The USP of AAP is their fight against corruption, so they should be painted as most corrupt people," he said.

Baby said it was a "targeted project" of making Kejriwal and the AAP unpopular in the minds of people.  "Think tanks of RSS and BJP decided that image should be tarnished. When RSS had such a project, some other political forces also started demanding the arrest of Kejriwal," he said without laying the blame on any political party.

He also said people in Delhi would think twice about what they did in the last election -- in which the AAP lost to the BJP. "At the first opportunity they would correct themselves," he said.  In a post on X, the CPI general secretary D Raja leader demanded that accountability be fixed for the "abuse of power".

Kejriwal, arrested on March 21, 2024, by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case and later by the CBI, which was probing the corruption charges, was released on bail after spending 155 days in jail.

"A Delhi trial court has discharged Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and all 23 accused in the liquor policy case, sharply criticising the CBI for lack of evidence, serious gaps and misleading allegations, and even ordered a departmental inquiry against the investigating officers," Raja said.

"They spent months in jail. Families suffered. Reputations were tarnished. Political careers were targeted. All to serve the BJP's singular agenda of silencing opponents and retaining power." The CPI leader said this episode stands as "yet another reminder of how central agencies like the CBI and ED have been reduced to instruments of political vendetta by the BJP".

"When investigative institutions are twisted into political weapons, it is not just individuals who are targeted; it is democracy itself that is put on trial. The country deserves accountability for this abuse of power," he said.

A Delhi court on Friday discharged former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the liquor policy case, pulling up the CBI by saying it found no "overarching conspiracy or criminal intent" in the policy.

Coming down heavily on the CBI, special judge Jitendra Singh refused to take cognisance of the CBI chargesheet against them. It also observed that the federal agency's case did not withstand judicial scrutiny, especially when the probe agency sought to construct a narrative of conspiracy on mere conjecture. PTI AO AO SKY SKY