BJP Demands Kejriwal’s Resignation After High Court Verdict; AAP Accuses BJP of Misleading

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 6th August. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday renewed its call for the resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following a Delhi High Court ruling that upheld his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an alleged excise policy scam. The court’s decision has intensified the political battle between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva described the high court’s decision, along with a recent Supreme Court ruling on the lieutenant governor’s authority regarding aldermen appointments to the MCD, as significant victories for the people of Delhi. Sachdeva questioned Kejriwal’s moral authority to remain in office, alleging that the administration had become “paralysed” and that no AAP minister was willing to take responsibility.

“The high court order has confirmed our allegations that the AAP government, led by Kejriwal, was involved in looting Delhi through the excise policy scam,” Sachdeva asserted. He emphasized the need for Kejriwal to step down and for a new leader to restore effective governance in the city.

The Delhi High Court’s ruling, which upheld Kejriwal’s arrest and rejected his bail plea, has been a major setback for the AAP leader. The court granted Kejriwal the option to seek relief from the trial court, intensifying the political and legal scrutiny surrounding his administration.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj criticized Kejriwal’s insistence on governing from jail, accusing him of causing “zero governance and complete policy paralysis” in Delhi. Swaraj emphasized that the court found no justification for the arrest being deemed “unjustifiable or illegal.”

In response, the AAP criticized the BJP’s position, arguing that the high court’s review focused on procedural issues rather than the substantive merits of the case. “The petition challenged specific technical aspects and legal non-compliance by the prosecution,” the AAP stated. The party noted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case had been decided on its merits, with the trial court and the Supreme Court granting bail, and there being no evidence against Kejriwal.

Kejriwal was initially arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case, and later by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he was held in judicial custody. The trial court granted him bail on June 20, though the decision was stayed by the high court. On July 12, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case.

The excise policy in question was revoked in 2022 following a CBI investigation ordered by the Delhi lieutenant governor, focusing on alleged irregularities and corruption in its implementation.