DJB Case: Delhi Minister Atishi Slams ED Actions, Says Agency 'Can File Case On How AAP Members Are Breathing'

AAP criticises ED for targeting the party, alleging political motives and selective investigations against AAP members following raids in Delhi Jal Board case

File Photo of Delhi Minister Atishi. (Source: Facebook/@atishiaap)

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for its recent actions, accusing the agency of acting on behalf of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The remarks followed the ED's announcement of seizing Rs 41 lakh in cash, incriminating documents, and digital devices during searches related to a money laundering case linked to alleged corruption in the augmentation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The ED's raids, which began on July 3, spanned multiple locations in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. In a statement, the ED revealed that the investigation pertains to an FIR filed by the Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) against Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd and others. The FIR alleges a scam involving the augmentation and upgradation of 10 STPs at various sites, with four tenders worth Rs 1,943 crore awarded to different joint venture entities in October 2022.

Everyone Has Seen BJP's 'Washing Machine': Delhi Minister Atishi Slams ED's Actions

Delhi Minister Atishi strongly condemned the ED's actions, suggesting political motives behind the investigations. "What the Enforcement Directorate (ED) does, against whom it works, on whose orders it works, is well known. In this country, everyone has seen the 'washing machine' of the Bharatiya Janata Party, how it works on Ajit Pawar and his entire family when they join the BJP, whether it is a sugar cooperative case or an irrigation scam case, the ED files a closure report in it," she said, as quoted by PTI.

Atishi further criticised the ED's selective investigations, pointing out past cases involving BJP leaders that were closed without consequence. "When Himanta Biswa Sarma became the CM of the BJP, the ED closed the ‘Hydro Power Scam’ case against him. They have been investigating the ‘liquor scam’ for two years, they did not find anything; they were investigating the construction of classrooms, they did not find anything there; they are investigating mohalla clinics, they did not find anything there," she claimed.

The Delhi Minister accused the BJP of using the ED as a tool to stifle opposition. "The ED has only registered a case in the Delhi Jal Board, now the Health Department, Education Department, Flood Department are still left. If there is a department for breathing, then ED can file a case on how the AAP members are breathing," Atishi charged.

In her concluding remarks, Atishi reaffirmed AAP's commitment to opposing what she termed as the BJP's dictatorship. "We will continue to oppose the dictatorship of the BJP," she asserted.

The ED's ongoing probe is based on accusations of a scam in the DJB's project to augment and upgrade STPs at several locations, including Pappankala, Nilothi, Najafgarh, Keshopur, Coronation Pillar, Narela, Rohini, and Kondli.