Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, who was jailed in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case and released on bail on April 3, has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) speaking about corruption is like the former al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden talking about non-violence.
“The BJP is a corrupt party,” he told The Wire, naming Janardhan Reddy, Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Mukul Roy and Subhendu Adhikari as party leaders who are allegedly corrupt.
On April 7, the AAP held a day-long nationwide fast in protest against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in connection with the same case. Singh said that Kejriwal’s arrest will “be the biggest issue” for the AAP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. While the BJP has been demanding Kejriwal’s resignation as he continues to run the government from jail, Singh asked whether the saffron party has asked for resignations from Manipur chief minister N.Biren Singh or Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra Teni. Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic violence for almost a year now. Ajay Mishra’s son is an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence of 2021 in which eight people died.
Below are excerpts from the interview.
The AAP held a nationwide day-long fast to protest against Kejriwal’s arrest. Why did you choose to protest with a fast?
Not only across the country but also outside the country the fasting protest was held. The only purpose of this protest was to expose how the BJP has made out a false case against Kejriwal and jailed him. In reality the BJP is behind the liquor scam. No money trail has been found linking the AAP but their money trail has been established. BJP has taken Rs 55 crore from Sharath Reddy who was called the kingpin in the liquor scam. This is only the beginning. We will do dharna, demonstrations, rallies to expose the BJP.
You spent six months in jail before you got bail last week. Did you feel demoralised during this period?
I did not feel demoralised at any point. They thought they could put pressure on me by putting me behind bars. But I have emerged mentally stronger.
The BJP has accused you of going against the court’s bail orders by giving interviews. How do you respond to that?
They can say whatever they want. The Supreme Court’s bail order said that the trial court will decide the conditions of my bail and the trial court has said that I am not allowed to speak on my role in the case. I haven’t spoken about my role anywhere. If I have they can show it. The BJP is a liar party so I don’t pay attention to what they say.
In the six months that you have been in jail, a lot has changed for your party. Your party’s tallest leader Kejriwal has been jailed. Other top leaders including Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain are still in jail. But if this is indeed a BJP conspiracy alone, why aren’t these leaders being granted relief by court?
The court is not responsible. If the evidence is not placed in court, how will it decide in our favour. The evidence that is in our favour, they have kept that hidden in court. There are 20,000 pages which they have kept aside as unreliable documents. 20,000 pages.
Recently Atishi alleged that she, Raghav Chadha, and Saurabh Bharadwaj will be arrested next. What will that mean for the AAP?
They are 100% trying to finish the AAP. As long as Kejriwal is the Delhi chief minister, the BJP cannot win in Delhi. They are looking at the 2024 elections, the 2025 Delhi elections. And also the fact that we have now joined hands with the INDIA alliance for the Lok Sabha elections.
The seeds of doubt about the AAP’s alleged role in corruption has already been sown in the minds of the public. How will your party convince the public ahead of the elections that you are not corrupt?
That is what we are trying to expose in front of the public, that it is not the AAP but the BJP that is corrupt. Kejriwal’s arrest will remain the biggest issue for us in these elections. In addition, we will show that Kejriwal was working for the 2 crore people of Delhi to provide them with electricity, water, education and health. And it is for this reason that he was arrested. Because the BJP has no answer to the work that was done by kejriwal. We will take this message to the people that if you want your chief minister to continue to work for you, then defeat the BJP in all seven seats in Delhi.
At the mass fasting you were being hailed as the sher or tiger of the AAP. Shall we see you in a bigger role in the coming days?
I am an ordinary worker in the party and I will work in any role that the party asks me to.
The question that is also being raised is that Kejriwal, who was voted to power on an anti-corruption plank, is now in jail facing allegations of corruption but is still not resigning. How do you respond to that?
This is a part of the conspiracy by the BJP. The public is not asking this question. The BJP is spreading this. The same BJP that is garlanding the chief minister of Manipur who has presided over ethnic violence, the same BJP has made Ajay Mishra the MoS home, the same BJP that does not give justice to women wrestlers and beats up protesting farmers. Has the BJP asked for the Manipur CM or Ajay Mishra’s resignation? But in Delhi, where the country’s best government is governing, they want the chief minister’s resignation.
The Congress in its manifesto has said that this election will be to save democracy and the constitution. Will the AAP also make it about saving democracy and the constitution?
There is no doubt that both democracy and the constitution are facing threats. The way in which elected CMs are being arrested, our democracy is in danger. We will highlight this as well as the fact that the BJP is the most corrupt party in independent India. BJP has pawned off the whole country to Adani, waived off loans to its big entrepreneur friends, and used electoral bonds as theka money.
But BJP itself is going to the people with an anti-corruption plank and making it a big issue in this election. So how will the opposition INDIA alliance counter that?
The BJP is a corrupt party. All those who are corrupt are with BJP. Janardhan Reddy, Ajit Pawar, Chhagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Mukul Roy, Subhendu Adhikari – how many names do you want me to count? If one makes a list of corrupt leaders, you will find all are with BJP now. When BJP talks about corruption it is like Osama Bin Laden talking about non violence.
