New Delhi: On Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, claimed that her husband was the victim of a “deep political conspiracy” and urged the public to support him. She warned that without such support, no educated and honest person would be inclined to join politics.
In her first video message following the Lok Sabha results, she alleged that Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in the excise policy case based on a “false” statement by a witness. She reiterated the Aam Aadmi Party’s allegations against Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, who was recently elected to the Lok Sabha on a TDP ticket, and his son, Raghava Magunta, an accused-turned-approver.
She described Kejriwal as a normal, educated, patriotic, and staunchly honest man, emphasizing that if the people of Delhi do not support him, no educated and honest individual will venture into politics.
According to Sunita Kejriwal, the ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal based on the statement of TDP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy. She claimed that Reddy changed his statement to the ED about his meeting with the Delhi Chief Minister after his son, Raghava Magunta Reddy, was arrested and denied bail.
Sunita Kejriwal alleged that initially, MSR said he met the Delhi Chief Minister on March 16, 2021, regarding land for a charitable trust he wanted to open in Delhi. However, he changed his statement on July 17, 2023, following his son’s arrest. She questioned the plausibility of asking for money in front of 10-12 people, as MSR claimed in his altered statement.
Similar allegations had been made by AAP leader Sanjay Singh in April. No immediate reaction was available from the ED or MSR.
Sunita Kejriwal claimed that even after his son’s arrest, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy gave several statements but maintained his original claim about meeting Kejriwal regarding land for his family charitable trust. She mentioned that Raghav Magunta’s wife attempted suicide due to shock, and his elderly mother’s health deteriorated, leading to MSR changing his statement.
She pointed out that MSR’s meeting with Kejriwal lasted barely 4-5 minutes, and it was his first and last meeting with the Chief Minister. She questioned the logic of asking for money from a stranger in front of 10-12 people during their first meeting.
Appealing to the public to share her video, Sunita Kejriwal accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of wanting to “finish off” Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party using the ED and CBI.
In response, the BJP accused Sunita Kejriwal of “mastering the art of story-telling” like her husband and of “casting aspersions” on the judiciary. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva criticized her for implying that the judiciary was biased in granting bail based on the statements given.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in his government’s scrapped excise policy 2021-22. He is currently in judicial custody after being arrested by the CBI. While the trial court granted him bail on June 20 in the ED case, the Delhi High Court stayed the trial court order on June 25.
Kejriwal had campaigned vigorously against the BJP in the Lok Sabha election in Delhi, portraying it as a vote against his arrest. However, this effort was insufficient as the BJP maintained its winning streak, securing all seven seats in the national capital again, though with smaller victory margins this time.
