While the Congress, with its actions, has made its name synonymous with corruption, the power of advertisement is such that all the misdeeds, corruptions and criminal activities of the Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders are rugged under the carpet. The irony is that the AAP which came with the hope of transforming the political landscape has changed it for the worst. Many of Aam Aadmi Party leaders have been arrested or alleged to be involved in serious corruption and other criminal cases which bust the claim of being the party with the difference.
Yet another Corrupt AAP leader arrested
On 30th May, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain in a money laundering case. The officials took him into custody under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a few hours of questioning, an ED official said. Further, the CBI court has sent him to 10 days of ED custody. Just for a reminder, Satyendra Jain is said to be the brain behind the mohalla clinic, the flagship program of the AAP government in Delhi. Earlier, on 5th April, the ED had already attached properties associated with him and his family members worth ₹ 5 crores.
Enforcement Directorate arrests Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain in connection with a money laundering case. @dir_ed @SatyendarJain pic.twitter.com/baf37HOyTG
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 30, 2022
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The probe agency alleged that money laundering of around ₹ 4.81 crore was done through 5 shell companies, which were associated with Satyendra Jain. The probe found that “during the period 2015-16, when Satyendra Kumar Jain was a public servant, the companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries to the tune of ₹ 4.81 crores from shell (paper) companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route.”
Additionally, the agency claimed that these amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or the repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi. Interestingly, the Aam Aadmi Party which started as a crusader against corruption is backing its leader Satyendra Jain even after such grave charges levelled by ED. But nothing is surprising seeing the past track record of the Aam Aadmi Party. Just for a reminder, the party defended communal bigot Delhi riot accused Tahir Hussain, so economic offences are a mole compared to the mountain of Tahir Hussain’s criminalities.
Past track record of the party with a difference
The Aam Aadmi Party National convener Arvind Kejriwal rose in the political landscape in the hope of reforming the way politics had been going on. He was one of the flag bearers of the Anna Hazare-led movement ‘India against Corruption’ in 2011. He capitalised on the sentiments of the people, catapulted his stature in politics and soon tasted the power of Delhi CM. But the same party has been giving the cold shoulder to Lokpal and Lokayukta. Hence, this is nothing but a betrayal of the basic tenet of the protest as these demands were the main reason for the Anti-corruption protest.
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Since the birth of the party, it has been involved in supporting tainted and criminal leaders. So. Let’s shred the false claim of clean politics claimed by the AAP party one by one. Recently, the Punjab government had to shunt its own party leader for being involved in corruption cases. The Punjab Health Minister Vijay Singla was sent to jail on serious corruption charges. He was alleged of demanding a 1% bribe in the tenders of the Health Ministry. Additionally, in Feb 2020, corruption in the top office was busted when the OSD of Manish Sisodia was arrested on bribery charges. In 2018, corruption charges against another minister of the Aam Aadmi Party government surfaced when Minister Asim Ahmed Khan was alleged of extorting 6 lakhs from a builder and the party was forced to sack him.
AAP: A party with all shades of Grey
Nobody would ever forget the legendary minister of AAP Jitendra Tomar. In 2015, he was the Law Minister in the Delhi AAP government. He was arrested for having a fake lawyer degree. The RTI exposed the scam of the Kejriwal’s minister which was validated by the Bhagalpur University in the Delhi High Court. Not just corruption and fake degrees, the AAP has a multitude of other criminals in it. Its ministers have been involved in serious cases of crime against women, even within the family circle.
Evidently, the wife of Somnath Bharti accused him of harassing her. The communal leader Amanatullah Khan was accused of sexually harassment the wife of his brother-in-law. Another Minister, Sandeep Kumar was jailed for raping a woman on the pretext of providing a ration card. His scandalous CD went viral and became a matter of disgrace for the party as ironically he was the Minister of Women and Child Welfare.
It is a disgrace that the party had shamelessly backed all the culprits till the end as it is doing in the case of Satyendra Jain’s arrest. So Irony must have died a thousand deaths as the party which projected itself as a crusader against Corruption has umpteenth leaders who have been accused of corruption and malpractice. Further, the Aam Aadmi Party seems to be a den of criminals of all sheds. All these acts reflect that it is mirroring the grand old party, that is, Congress, and if things like this continue it may surpass it. But, it should not forget that these same things had ousted Congress and has resulted in its dilapidated condition. So it will be better for the AAP to run a clean drive within the party.