CBI raids Arvind Kejriwal's office, AAP leader calls it PM Modi's 'cowardice'

https://twitter.com/unp/status/676653517155786752

CBI raid not against Arvind Kejriwal, says Arun Jaitley



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday that the CBI raid was not against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, but against an official who was attached to his office, a claim rejected by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a lie.

The matter was raised in the Rajya Sabha by TMC member Derek O'brien who said "this was unprecedented in the history of modern India".

Jaitley said: "CBI raid has nothing to do with Kejriwal and his tenure as Delhi chief minister. The raid was done against an official who was attached to his office and that too in a matter prior to his becoming chief minister."

Kejriwal on Tuesday morning tweeted that CBI raided his office, triggering a political storm.

Kejriwal said in another tweet: "When Modi could not handle me politically, he resorts to this cowardice."

After Jaitley spoke in the Rajya Sabha, the Delhi chief minister shot back: "FM lied in Parliament. My own office files are being looked into to get some evidence against me. Rajender is an excuse".

Kejriwal was referring to Rajendra Kumar, who is the secretary to the Delhi chief minister.

Day after CBI raid, Kejriwal targets FM Jaitley in new tweets

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal made fresh accusations on Wednesday against finance minister Arun Jaitley over a CBI raid allegedly on his office, fueling the political fire he ignited the day before when he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “coward” and “psychopath”.
In a series of tweets, the AAP chief posted purported photographs of a list of documents taken way by the CBI from his office and alleged that seized documents were unrelated to a probe against his principal secretary, senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar.
Kejriwal alleged that the CBI was interested in files related to the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which Jaitley headed for over a decade.
“CBI kept reading DDCA file in my office. They wud hv seized it. But after my media briefing, they left it. Not clear if they took a copy,” he tweeted.
“Why is Jaitley ji so scared of DDCA probe? What is his role in DDCA scam?”

Union parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu reiterated the government’s position that it has no role in the CBI raid. “The CBI is doing its duty. Nobody should put obstacles in the way of the CBI conducting its duty and responsibility. Everyone must help in that. I would suggest that the case should not be influenced by making statements. You are weakening the fight against corruption by politicising the issue,” Naidu said.
“The raid has not taken place in the CM’s personal office … it is about an officer, who is facing inquiry.”



It has been alleged that Kejriwal was keenly pursuing the DDCA case after two former Test cricketers and some functionaries accused the cricket administrator of financial wrongdoing.
He was apparently gathering information from diverse sources, although DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda clarified that the Delhi government has no jurisdiction over the association.
On Tuesday, the chief minister accused the BJP-led NDA government of conducting a controversial search operation at the Delhi secretariat to dig out files related to the DDCA scandal that could put the finance minister in a spot.
Jaitley dismissed the allegations as “absolutely rubbish”, saying “I do not think I need to respond to this rubbish”.
The BJP rejected the charge and Jaitley told Parliament that the investigation was into charges of corruption against an IAS officer, whose office had been searched. The CBI too clarified that they were probing allegations that Kumar had favoured private firms in bagging government contracts.

A furious Kejriwal vowed to continue the fight against the ruling dispensation till his last breath and dared Prime Minister Modi, saying he was not scared of the CBI.
A day later, he continued his twitter tirade against Jaitley. “FM lied in the Parliament yesterday,” he tweeted.
“The raid was conducted to look for the files of DDCA in which Jaitley is involved in graft cases. I want to tell Modi ji, you scared other people through CBI, but you have no idea what Kejriwal is made up of. I will keep fighting till my last breath for the country.”
Backing Kejriwal’s attack on the Centre, the Congress on Wednesday said the incident was a “calculated” move to destabilise the Delhi government.
“A clear case of blame game is going on and it is a sad day for democracy. If this is the corporate federalism the Prime Minister was talking about, then it is quite disappointing. For whatever reason a chief minister’s office is raided, it is something that should not happen in India,” Congress leader PC Chacko told ANI.
Parliamentary affairs minister Naidu mocked the Opposition, asking whether the CBI should wait for an auspicious time to do its work. “The Opposition should cooperate. If they are sincere to fight against corruption, they must all really appreciate the action taken by the CBI.”
Minister of state in the prime minister’s office Jitendra Singh seconded his senior colleague and called Kejriwal’s statement “obnoxious”.