‘What makes you deem Satyendar Jain an honest man’, Irani asks Kejriwal

PTI, Jun 2, 2022, 8:33 PM IST

Union minister Smriti Irani on Thursday trained guns at AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him not to ”disrespect” the investigating agencies and the high court and answer whether he considered Satyendar Jain ”who used black money and grabbed 200 bighas of land” an honest man.

Jain, the health minister in the Kejriwal government, was arrested earlier this week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. Jain was taken on remand by the ED till June 9 on an order issued by a Delhi court. Irani, who on Wednesday had fired off a series of questions to Kejriwal about his stance on allegations against Jain, said the country was still waiting for a reply on the matter from him.

She also claimed that the Delhi high court in an earlier order had found Jain to have laundered Rs 16.39 crore through hawala operators and found him to be a partner in four shell companies.

The Delhi High Court in a ruling in May 2017 had said there was nothing wrong with the Income Tax department’s order under the new Benami law to provisionally attach some assets allegedly linked to Satyender Jain.

”I urge you to tell the people of the country – why have you maintained silence over this High Court order? You had told the country that you saw all papers then why have you not commented on the Delhi High Court order?” she said.

Kejriwal in a media briefing earlier in the day said that he failed to understand the politics behind the arrest of Jain, adding that some people claimed it was due to upcoming Himachal Pradesh polls and revenge for AAP’s massive victory in the Punjab Assembly elections.

Irani asked Kejriwal on what grounds he gave Jain a “clean chit”.

”Now he says he fails to understand anything but when he gave a clean chit to Satyendar Jain, what did he ‘understand’ about him that he found him clean?” she said. ”Kejriwal Ji you repeatedly charge investigating agencies. Do you want investigating agencies to overlook this Delhi High Court order?” she said.

The BJP leader also said that Jain bought 200 bigha land around unauthorized colonies and then regularised those colonies as urban development minister.

”The country eagerly awaits your answers. Do not disrespect the country’s investigative agencies and Delhi High Court,” she said and asked Kejriwal if he still considered Jain an honest man. Kejriwal had earlier said that he knew the law and had studied cases against Jain terming them ”bogus”.