‘Arvind Kejriwal & his associates should not be shown any support’

New Delhi: Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken on Sunday launched a scathing attack on AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, saying that individuals like him and his associates who face “serious corruption charges” should not be shown any sympathy or support.

The stance by Maken, a former Union minister during the UPA government, is at variance with his party’s central leadership as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had telephoned Kejriwal on Saturday, a day after the AAP convenor was summoned by the CBI, and expressed solidarity with the AAP leader.

The statement comes at a time when efforts are being made to unite opposition parties and bring them together on a common platform.

In his call to Kejriwal, Kharge had stressed the need for opposition parties to unite against the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections, according to sources.

In a long Twitter post that came on the day of Kejriwal’s questioning by the CBI, 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,” Maken 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.