Kerala's Vijayan Critiques BJP and Congress After Court Ruling for Kejriwal
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
New Delhi, Feb 27 (NationPress) Kerala's Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, expressed on Friday that the trial court’s decision to discharge former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise policy case signifies a major blow to what he termed the Centre's “political exploitation” of investigative agencies.
While in Delhi for a party politburo meeting amidst a tight schedule, Vijayan communicated with Kejriwal via phone.
In a statement released later that evening, he noted that the verdict revealed the BJP-led Union government's attempts to suppress political adversaries by filing what he described as fabricated cases.
“This ruling is a setback not only for the BJP but for the Congress as well, which has, with *self-serving political motives*, assisted the BJP in these actions,” he asserted.
The Chief Minister argued that the court's judgment effectively challenged the efforts to destabilize non-BJP state administrations through the misuse of central agencies.
He highlighted the court's criticism of the CBI, which allegedly proceeded with accusations against the accused without substantial evidence, as a crucial insight from the ruling.
Vijayan claimed that investigative bodies were manipulated for political objectives and asserted that a “political scheme” had been devised in Delhi to undermine the governance of the Aam Aadmi Party.
He further accused the Congress of playing a significant role in initiating actions against Kejriwal, recalling that in June 2022, the then Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president had engaged with the Delhi Police under the Union Home Ministry, alleging corruption linked to the excise policy.
Moreover, he remembered that when Sisodia was apprehended by a central agency, the Congress had endorsed the action and demanded Kejriwal's arrest.
Complaints from Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, according to Vijayan, were utilized by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor to target the AAP administration.
Labeling the Congress as a “megaphone” for the BJP against the AAP, Vijayan concluded that the verdict holds political ramifications extending beyond Delhi.