Kerala CM speaks to Kejriwal, calls court verdict on excise policy blow to BJP, Cong

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 27 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said he spoke to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal after a court in the national capital discharged him in the Delhi excise policy case, and described the verdict as a "blow" to the Union government's alleged misuse of power against political opponents.

In a Facebook post, Vijayan said that he spoke to Kejriwal, former Delhi CM, in the backdrop of the court verdict.

The verdict was a setback not only for the BJP but also for the Congress, which he alleged had assisted the saffron party for political motives.

He said the court had effectively questioned attempts to destabilise non-BJP state governments through the use of central agencies.

The left senior leader also claimed that the court had made strong observations against the CBI for arraigning the accused without sufficient evidence.

Alleging political conspiracy, Vijayan said the BJP-led central government had misused investigative agencies for political gain and had sought to undermine the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi.

Referring to developments in June 2022, he said the then Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president had approached the Delhi Police, which functions under the Union Home Ministry, alleging corruption in the excise policy.

When central agencies arrested former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, the Congress had welcomed the move and demanded Kejriwal's arrest as well, Vijayan said.

Complaints by Congress leader and former chief ministerial candidate Sandeep Dikshit were used by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to act against the AAP government, Vijayan claimed.

The CPI(M) leader alleged that the Congress had acted as a "megaphone" for the BJP in Delhi and had become a partner in efforts to topple a secular government in the national capital. PTI TBA TBA SA