Amanatullah Khan, an MLA from the Aam Aadmi Party, AAP, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, ED, on Monday in connection with alleged irregularities in the appointment to the Delhi Waqf Board and leasing of its property, which is estimated to be of about ₹100 crore. The arrest came after high drama in a raid at his residence in Delhi when Khan alleged that IAC was insensitive over his mother-in-law’s cancer treatment illness that had undergone surgery a few days before.
However, Khan shared his displeasure towards ED through a video message to social media, saying, ” My mother-in-law is a cancer patient and was operated on four days back. ” It was humiliating to see an old woman crying while Khan was arguing with an ED officer who conducted a raid on his house. On the woman’s side, probably his wife, she also complained why the agency had to comb their small house.
Khan refuted the allegations against him, asserting that ED has been ‘harassing’ him and AAP for the last two years. He said, “They want to break our party. We will not be scared. ”
The AAP has stood up for Khan, and party leaders have taken to Twitter today, vowing that the ED’s actions are politically motivated. It is the fourth case of the AAP leader’s arrest in the framework of the high-profile central agencies; earlier, Manish Sisodia, deputy chief minister, and Sanjay Singh, an MP, were arrested in connection with accusations connected with the liquor policy scandal.
The critics inside the party who need to note that its ED is clearly attacking the rival political party ahead of assembly polls with the help of federal agencies are not wrong. The charges against Khan stem back to a case filed by the CBI in 2016, which did not lead to the accused’s apprehension.
The arrest of Khan has once again brought out the political contest over the use of investigative agencies in the political strife where AAP leaders have sought justice and accountability.
