New Delhi: AAP on May 8, suspended its former Minister Kapil Mishra from the party, hours after he submitted “evidence” against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the Anti-Corruption Bureau (PAC) in a Rs 400 crore scam and named his late brother-in-law as a beneficiary of corruption.
The decision to suspend Mishra, who was sacked from cabinet on Saturday, came at a meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) here before which the party saw a BJP hand in the allegations of another minister Satyendar Jain giving Rs two crore to Kejriwal at the latter’s residence.
Before the PAC decision, Mishra said the meeting was called to expel him but he would not leave the party or join BJP. The AAP alleged a big conspiracy against Kejriwal and the organisation by the BJP and Mishra has fallen into it.
Describing the allegations levelled on Sunday as baseless, AAP leader Sanjay Singh told reporters in the afternoon that Mishra was making such claims “out of desperation”. He also rubbished claims that Jain helped Kejriwal’s relative to swing a Rs 50 crore land deal.
“Using Mishra as a medium, a game is being played to torment AAP government and its ministers. Mishra is repeating now what BJP has been saying in the past few months. Do you think Kejriwal will invite him to be count the notes when he is taking a bribe? Tell us the name of Kejriwal’s relative who got help in the land deal,” Singh said.
The challenge was accepted by Mishra at an evening press conference and named Kejriwal’s brother-in-law, who passed away on Monday morning. The deal was arranged by Jain, Mishra claimed. Jain, who said he will file a defamation case against Sharma, claimed he can prove that he was not at Kejriwal’s residence on the day Sharma claimed he handed over the money.
In a day which saw hectic activities from both sides, Mishra was the first to hit the block by reaching the ACB office to present evidence against Kejriwal to back his claim that Kejriwal was delaying the probe into the scam. “The government tried to shield Sheila Dikshit time and again,” he told reporters after the meeting. He said he would also approach the CBI on Tuesday.
“Jain told me that he has arranged a 7-acre land deal in Chattarpur for Arvind Kejriwal’s brother-in-law’s Bansal family. Being a PWD minister, he also fudged bills up to Rs 10 crore in the department to benefit Kejriwal’s relative,” Mishra claimed.
There was massive corruption during ticket distribution during Punjab Assembly polls, he claimed while adding that party members supplied liquor during the polls. Another AAP leader Sanjay Singh was involved in lobbying for overseas funding of the party.
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