Refuting charges of money laundering against Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “we do not tolerate any corruption and will never do”, adding that the case against Jain has no truth and is driven by political reasons.
Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money laundering case, with his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) calling it a political move ahead of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls.
He was taken into custody under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a few hours of questioning and will be produced before a designated court on Tuesday.
The arrest of Satyendar Jain comes days after a minister of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government was sacked over corruption charges and was also arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau later.
Giving the Punjab example, Kejriwal on Tuesday said, “We do not tolerate any corruption and will never do. In punjab, we took action against a corrupt minister. We do not wait for agencies. I have studied Satyendar Jain’s case, it has no truth. This is all due to political reasons”.
Satyendar Jain has been arrested by the federal agency in connection with alleged hawala dealings. Reacting sharply to the arrest, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said Jain has been arrested in an eight-year-old “fake” case as he is the AAP’s incharge for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections and the BJP is afraid of losing the polls.
“A fake case has been going on against Satyendar Jain for eight years. He has been called by the ED several times so far. The ED had stopped calling him for some time because it did not find anything against him. Now it has again started because he is the incharge of Himachal Pradesh elections,” Sisodia said in a tweet in Hindi. “The BJP is afraid of losing the elections and hence he was arrested to prevent him from going to Himachal. He will be released soon as he has been arrested in a fake case,” Sisodia said on Monday.
Jain, 57, is the minister for health, industries, power, home, urban development and water in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. The Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls are slated for later this year. The AAP is looking to make inroads into the state after its stupendous victory in Punjab earlier this year.
The ED had said last month that assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of Jain’s family and companies “beneficially owned and controlled” by him were provisionally attached as part of a money laundering probe against him.
(With PTI inputs)
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