Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 19 : A day after former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) tendering process, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday indicated that "BJP's way of working is to arrest prominent leaders during the elections."
He also claimed that the BJP was "rattled" and had been "unable to gain a foothold" in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections in 2027.
He has been arrested in an ACB FIR registered on 11.05.2024 under Sections 7, 7A, 9, 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) read with Sections 42, 409, 418, 120-B of the IPC.
"This is how the BJP operates. They are rattled; they have been unable to gain a foothold in Punjab, which is why they contemplated arresting him--given that he is in charge of AAP in Punjab. They did the same in Delhi, where Sanjay Singh was detained for speaking in Parliament... The Supreme Court had even exonerated Arvind Kejriwal... The BJP is anti-democratic, considering their modus operandi--arresting prominent leaders during elections...", he told reporters here.
His remarks came after Jain was arrested in connection with the Delhi Jal Board tender scam case. Jain is a former Delhi minister.
Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, alleged that the arrests show Union Home Minister Amit Shah's "way of fighting elections".
"Satyendar Jain had previously been imprisoned for 2 years, yet not a single charge levelled against him in court was proven. This is not action taken against a crime; rather, it is Amit Shah's way of fighting elections...however, the people of Punjab overcome fear; they confront and fight it, so they are not the sort to be intimidated. This is entirely political...ED is acting as an arm of BJP's election campaign. The issue being raised pertains to a time when he was already in jail..."
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said, "... Treatment plant issue has not started today; irregularities have been taking place in Delhi for years. New contracts are being given at double, triple, or even four times the rates..."
Jain was arrested for alleged large-scale irregularities, manipulation of tender conditions and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process related to the augmentation and upgradation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).