Has Ajay Maken Clinched Any Deal With BJP: AAP Hits Back At Congress Leader

The AAP on Monday hit out at Congress leader Ajay Maken for targeting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue of corruption and sought to know if he has clinched any deal with the BJP. The party’s reaction came a day after Maken, former Delhi Congress chief, launched a scathing attack on Kejriwal, saying that individuals like him and his associates who face "serious corruption charges" should not be shown any sympathy or support. “On the one hand Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge extends his support to Arvind Kejriwal calling him over phone, on the other hand his party leader Ajay Maken is writing against the AAP national convener. This means he (Maken) must have clinched a deal with the BJP,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sanjay Singh told reporters here.

He also wondered if there is any “communication gap” between the Congress leader and his party or if the party is “confused”. “When his party’s national president is extending support to Kejriwal, why is he deliberately doing this? Only Ajay Maken can tell what his relationship is with the BJP, what kind of deal he has clinched with the BJP,” Singh charged. In a long Twitter post that came on the day of Kejriwal's questioning by the CBI on Sunday, Maken said, "I believe that individuals like Kejriwal and his associates who face serious corruption charges should not be shown any sympathy or support." "The allegations of LiquorGate and GheeGate must be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty should be punished. It is important for all political leaders, including those from Congress, to recognize that the money gained through corrupt means by Kejriwal has been used against the Congress party in several states, including Punjab, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi," the Congress leader had said.

Noting that Kejriwal founded the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2013 with the aim of fighting corruption following the Anna Hazare movement, Maken said the party promised to enact the Lokpal Bill, which was viewed by the opposition parties as a solution to corruption in the Congress party. "However, Kejriwal dissolved his own government in February 2014, just 40 days after coming to power, demanding a strong Lokpal Bill, which was later made public. "Despite this, in December 2015, Kejriwal introduced a watered-down version of the Lokpal Bill that differed greatly from the original Bill proposed in 2014," the former Delhi Congress chief said. This exposes the true character and intentions of Kejriwal, he had said.