On Wednesday (15th May), former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi launched an attack on I.N.D.I. Alliance partner Aam Aadmi Party’s supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Channi during a media interaction said that a big liquor scam happened in Delhi and that Kejriwal cannot be trusted.
“Kejriwal who is involved in liquor scam and is out of jail for only 15 days, can’t be trusted… A big liquor scam happened in Delhi and the same happened in Punjab also… We demand an inquiry into it…Instead of being welcomed, he should be opposed…” Channi said.
#WATCH | Jalandhar, Punjab: Congress Lok Sabha Candidate from Jalandhar, Charanjit Singh Channi says, "Kejriwal who is involved in liquor scam and is out of jail for only 15 days, can't be trusted… A big liquor scam happened in Delhi and the same happened in Punjab also… We… pic.twitter.com/ZDXqMYaZNO
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2024
Channi made these comments as the AAP supremo is set to do roadshows in Punjab on Thursday.
Notably, on 10th May the Supreme Court granted Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal interim bail till June in the wake of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Aam Aadmi Party supremo was asked to return to custody on 2 June, two days before the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta announced interim bail for Arvind Kejriwal until June 1. In its comprehensive order, the apex court noted that Kejriwal’s bail case was special since he was a sitting CM and needed to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
Solicitor-general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor general SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case, opposed the temporary bail, arguing for “equitable treatment” for all parties. However, the bench dismissed their objections. The law officers urged the bench to impose conditions on Kejriwal, preventing him from discussing the excise policy case while out on bail.
The court noted that it was addressing the matter of an elected Chief Minister, not a repeat offender, and emphasised that general elections occur only once every five years. Four more phases of general elections are left, with the national capital Delhi going to the polls on May 25, 2024.
