Kejriwal backs Satyendar Jain; 'Conman's claim bid to divert attention from Morbi tragedy'

Breaking his silence on conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar's allegation against Satyendar Jain, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal defended his incarcerated Minister. The conman claimed to have paid over Rs.50 crore to AAP to get a party position and Rs.10 crore to Jain as 'protection money'. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Kejriwal contended that this fictitious story was being peddled in a bid to divert attention from the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy which led to the death of 135 persons. He also accused BJP of using him to defame AAP ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls. 

Arvind Kejriwal remarked, "Who is he (Sukesh)? I just read about this. Before the Punjab election, they brought Kumar Vishwas. When BJP realised that it is losing the Punjab election, it fired from Kumar Vishwas' shoulder. Now, BJP's condition in Gujarat is so bad that they are now seeking the help of Sukesh Chandrasekhar." 

"They said that Manish Sisodia was involved in the liquor scam. Two months have elapsed, and 800 officers are on it. But they didn't find anything. They said that there was corruption in (the procurement of) buses. They didn't find anything. They have levelled so many allegations. All their allegations are baseless and false," The Delhi CM added. 

Conman's claims

The sensational allegations were disclosed in a letter written by Chandrashekar from the Mandoli Jail to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on October 7. Claiming to have known Jain since 2015, the conman alleged that he was being threatened by the AAP leader to withdraw his plea in the Delhi High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into the jail racket. While Jain who was in charge of the Prison department back then is himself languishing at the Tihar jail in connection with an ED case, he still remains a Minister in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. 

Sukesh Chandrashekar claimed, "In 2019, I was visited by Satyendar Jain and his secretary and close friend Sushil in jail and asked to pay Rs 2 crore per month to him as protection money to live safely in jail and to get even basic facility provided. Also, he asked me to pay Rs.1.50 crore to DG Prison Sandeep Goel who he said was a close associate of his. He forced me to pay and a total amount of 10 crore in a matter of 2 or 3 months was extorted from me through constant pressure". The conman also expressed willingness for a Magistrate to record his statement under Section 164 of the CrPC.