Three days after a team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s house in connection with corruption charges over the ‘Talk to AK’ programme, another team on Monday went to the residence of Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain to question his wife in a money laundering case.
The second visit by the agency within a week has prompted the Aam Aadmi Party to hit back at the BJP government at the Centre once again, stating that its leaders were being charged and probed due to a politics of “vendetta”.
“Another day, another raid! CBI now raids Minister Jain‘s residence. Centre trying to silence dissenters via caged parrot,” Delhi government spokesperson Arunoday Prakash tweeted.
“BJP model: You make Mohalla Clinics, save money in projects, (provide) free medicines, tests and surgeries… We (the BJP) will keep troubling you with CBI, IT (Income Tax department), ED (Enforcement Directorate),” he added.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), accusing the Central government of “vendetta politics,” said in a tweet, “Central govt (sic) of BJP is misusing CBI for its vendetta politics. After Dy CM Manish Sisodia, BJP’s CBI raids on Minister.”
The CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against the Minister in connection with allegations of money laundering, in April. It recently examined him in connection with the probe.
Mr. Jain is alleged to be involved in money laundering to the tune of ₹4.63 crore while being a public servant in 2015-16 through Prayas Info Solutions Private Limited, Akinchan Developers Private Limited and Managalyatan Projects Private Limited, the CBI sources said.
There are three pending preliminary enquiries against the minister. One of the allegations against Jain pertain to the acquisition of agriculture land worth over Rs. 27 crore in Delhi by private companies linked with him and misuse of his official position to influence regularisation of illegal colonies in the national capital, CBI officials had earlier said.
IT documents suggested that Jain had “purchased more than 200 bigha” in north and northwest Delhi “in close vicinity of unauthorised colonies in the name of companies controlled by him”.
The AAP also claimed that four ‘witnesses’ against Jain were false. “These four witnesses have been forced to do so by BJP. Jain asked the I-T department to present the four witnesses before him. One of these, Bablu Pathak was presented before Jain and within 5 minutes Pathak accepted that he was lying and had nothing to do with case.” The party claimed that Jain had asked the I-t department to present the other witnesses, but they rejected in writing.
