Arvind Kejriwal’s acquittal exposes BJP conspiracy to target AAP, says Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said that the acquittal of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP functionary Manish Sisodia in the alleged excise policy case vindicated the party's stand that CBI and other central agencies have been reduced to "mere puppets" in the hands of the Centre to target political rivals.The acquittal has come as a shot in the arm for AAP which faces elections in Punjab in less than a year. In a video message, Mann said, "It is a historic day in the politics of the country because the court acquitted Arvind Kejriwal and 23 others who were wrongly booked by CBI. The case against Kejriwal and others was a desperate attempt by Centre to stop AAP, which was spreading its wings across the country through its agenda of good work."Mann accused BJP of trying to hijack democracy by creating their own database of votes instead of seeking votes from people. "Instead of seeking votes from the masses by folding hands before them, Union govt devised this strategy where the same voters are used to manipulate the victory of their party in any state," he said.Hitting out at PM Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, Mann said, "It is alright if you want to rule, but for that you should win the hearts of the people by your work and not through such tactics. They should stop dividing the country on sectarian lines for their vested political interests, as it is not in the favour of the nation."The Punjab CM posted on X, "Truth always triumphs. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal ji and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia ji, have been acquitted by the honourable court of Delhi in the liquor scam case. This has brought the truth before everyone. With time, the truth of all other cases will also come to light."In another post, he said, "Today, the sun of truth has risen. Thanks to the prayers of millions of people, truth, honesty, and patriotism triumphed today. The order of the court put a serious question mark on the working of the CBI, which is acting like a puppet in the hands of its masters. It exposed the blatant misuse of the central agencies by those in power at the Centre to muzzle the voice of democracy."Mann added in the video, "In order to merely win the elections in Delhi, the entire decision-making team of AAP was put behind bars by BJP-led Centre. Traditional parties are envious of AAP because we set the agenda of the welfare of the common man. Earlier, Congress and BJP used to play friendly matches. They used to play musical chairs in power and waited for their turns to plunder the people and the country.""This dirty play was stopped when AAP took centre stage in the politics of the country, but these parties do not want this to happen. Anyone who raises a voice against corruption and their nasty tantrums faces their wrath and is put behind bars without any reason. The benefactors of corruption, who have deep roots everywhere, target honest people and slap false cases against them," he said.Mann added, "Kejriwal cried for the country as its condition is getting worse with every passing day. Such poor treatment of an honest man is not desirable."