Members of the Delhi Cabinet described the chargesheet filed against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and 11 other AAP MLAs as “bogus” and the result of the BJP-led Centre’s “witch-hunt”, while the party lashed out at the complainant, chief secretary Anshu Prakash, for being part of a “plan to paralyse the government”. In a joint statement, ministers Gopal Rai, Satyendar Jain, Kailash Gahlot, Rajendra Pal Gautam and Imran Hussain said the “bogus” chargesheet was the result of a witch-hunt mounted after the BJP’s loss in Delhi in the 2015 polls. “They have not forgiven the elected government of Delhi and have relentlessly unleashed all their agencies with full might to crush the government.,” it said. Read | Chief secy ‘assault’ chargesheet names Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, 11 others While accusing the Centre of “snatching” powers of the Delhi government and “terrorising officers”, it added, “The latest sinister conspiracy has been hatched through a handpicked bureaucrat of the BJP’s Centre to defame the CM and Deputy CM in a totally false and untenable case.” It added that the Delhi Police was acting as a “political tool” and that the “false and imaginary case” would not stand up to legal scrutiny: “. It will be contested with all legal strength to expose the real face of the Modi government and its puppet, Delhi Police.” Hardlook | Charges against AAP MLAs: How the cases fell “It appears that the Modi government has learnt no lesson from its previous attempt of booking elected MLAs in false cases during last three-and-a-half years. It is now a documented fact that the fast track courts in Delhi, during last five months, have acquitted/discharged elected MLAs in 19 of 22 cases registered against them since February 2015,” the statement said. The Indian Express had reported Monday about the 19 MLAs being discharged or acquitted. Also Read | Delhi fast track courts acquit, discharge AAP MLAs in 19 of 22 cases AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj, meanwhile, attacked the chief secretary, saying: “The AAP is of the clear view that Mr Anshu Prakash. was posted as chief secretary of Delhi with a sinister plan to paralyse the elected government. hatched at the PMO’s behest.”
