New Delhi: A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal broke his silence on his cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case of money laundering, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani took potshots at the AAP national convenor saying Jain himself declared under Income Disclosures 2016 that he indulged in money laundering of Rs 16.39 crores. Satyendar Jain has been sent to ED custody till June 9.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Smriti Irani slammed Arvind Kejriwal for saying that the charges against Jain were baseless, adding "Pronouncing himself judge, Kejriwal set Satyendar Jain free in the people’s court."
Union Minister questioned, "Kejriwal ji, is it true that Satyendar Jain himself declared under Income Disclosures 2016 that he indulged in money laundering of Rs 16.39 crores? Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain became the channels for it."
She also asked the Delhi CM, "Is it true that the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax rejected that the true owners of Rs 16.39 crores were neither Ankush Jain nor Vaibhav Jain but Satyendar Jain himself was the owner of this black money?"
Is it true that the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax rejected that the true owners of Rs 16.39 crores were neither Ankush Jain nor Vaibhav Jain but Satyendar Jain himself was the owner of this black money?: Union Minister Smriti Irani (2/2) pic.twitter.com/VoLie5Vpox
— ANI (@ANI) June 1, 2022
Smriti Irani posed the following questions before the Delhi Chief Minister:
- Is it true that Jain himself announced that money laundering worth Rs 16 crore was done by him with Ankush Jain in 2016?
- Is it true that Jain is the owner of shell companies, Indo metallic and Prayas Info Solution and all of them are controlled through shareholding with his wife?
- Is it true that Satyendar Jain owned 200 acres of land in Karala, Channi, Nizampur and North West Delhi?
- Is it true that the 200 acres of land are around illegal colonies that have been regulated?
- Did Satyendar Jain launder crores of rupees to family members through 4 shell firms from 2010-to 2016?
- Should such a person continue in the post of a minister?
At a media briefing here on Tuesday, the Delhi Chief Minister said that the case against Satyendar Jain was "completely fake and politically motivated", and defended him as a "hardcore honest and patriotic" person. He also asserted that the charges levelled against Jain are "completely false", adding that he himself would have taken action against him if there was even one per cent truth in the allegations.
Satyendar Jain was arrested by the ED in a case of money laundering on Monday. He holds various portfolios, including health, home and power in the Arvind Kejriwal government.
Asserting that the Delhi government and the AAP are "hardcore honest" and consider corruption as treason, PTI quoted Kejriwal as saying "I have studied the case against Jain. It is completely fake and motivated by political reasons and he has been deliberately framed."
He further said, "We have faith in the judiciary. Jain will come out clean and the fake case will not sustain," adding "We consider corruption the highest form of treason. We will rather die than indulge in corruption. We can never betray our Bharat Mata. We cannot trade our souls and betray the country."
Asked about the demand of the BJP and the Congress for Jain's removal, he said, "They will say anything. If there was even one per cent substance in it, I would have taken action." He also extended his support to Jain's wife and children, saying he is a courageous person and jail can never dent his honesty.
Kejriwal said he himself was a "victim" of cases filed by agencies and raids conducted at his place, but could never be framed. Cases were also filed against several AAP MLAs, but all of them were acquitted by courts, he further added.
(With Agency Inputs)
