Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal on Wednesday, 19 August launched a sharp attack on former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of orchestrating a decade-long 'shop of corruption' through his ministers in the national capital. The remarks came a day after former Delhi Minister Satyendar Kumar Jain and former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO Udit Prakash Rai, an IAS officer, were among six people arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in connection with an alleged corruption and tender-manipulation case linked to the augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the city.

The Allegations Against Kejriwal

Maliwal alleged that multiple corruption cases surfaced during Kejriwal's tenure as Delhi Chief Minister, including the alleged classroom construction scam and the liquor policy case. She further claimed that Kejriwal deliberately avoided holding any ministerial portfolio so that accountability for alleged wrongdoing could be deflected onto individual ministers.

'In the last 10 years in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal ran a shop of corruption. Whether it was the classroom construction scam in schools, the liquor scam, or countless other scams — they had done it all. Kejriwal worked very cleverly. During his 10 years as Chief Minister, he never took charge of any ministry. His modus operandi was clear: he got corruption done through his ministers, and as soon as a minister was exposed, he would shift the entire blame onto that minister. He did this for 10 years in Delhi,' Maliwal said.

The STP Case and the Yamuna Link

Describing the sewage treatment plant case involving the Delhi Jal Board as a 'very serious scam', Maliwal argued that the alleged irregularities directly undermined efforts to clean the Yamuna river. She stressed that the proper functioning of STPs is central to reducing pollution levels in the river.

'Kejriwal thought that the Yamuna would not bring votes, so why not make money out of it? That is why he got this corruption done,' she alleged.

Extending the Attack to Punjab

Maliwal also trained her sights on Punjab, alleging that after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s tenure in Delhi ended, Kejriwal effectively transplanted the alleged model of corruption to the neighbouring state.

'As soon as Kejriwal's corruption shop ended in Delhi, he opened the same big corruption malls in Punjab. Satyendar Jain is working as a collection agent for the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab. He is openly extorting money from builders and real estate developers. If that is not true, then why has he been given a more luxurious bungalow in Chandigarh than ministers? Why is bungalow number 926 in Sector 36 allotted to him when he is just an ex-MLA from Delhi?' she asserted.

Maliwal's 'Bhrashtachar ki Kitab' Framing

In a pointed rhetorical flourish, Maliwal characterised the alleged chain of corruption as a film titled 'Bhrashtachar ki Kitab — Delhi to Punjab', casting Kejriwal as its writer, director, and producer, and those being arrested — including Jain — as mere actors.

'The actual action has been directed by Kejriwal, and action should be taken against him,' she said, adding that Kejriwal had reportedly continued to run the Delhi government even while in jail, which she argued demonstrated the depth of his alleged control over the administration.

As the ACB's investigation into the STP tender case widens, political pressure on the AAP leadership is set to intensify, with the Yamuna clean-up — a flagship electoral promise — now at the centre of the controversy.