Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday lashed out at the Centre over alleged unpaid dues and "atrocities of the central government". Accusing the BJP-led Centre of waging a bitter war with the states ruled by parties in Opposition at the national level, Kejriwal said: "Usually people take to the streets to protest the Centre's exploitation. But today, the Kerala Chief Minister [Pinarayi Vijayan] himself has come to stage a dharna [sit-im protest] against the Centre's injustice."
"The Opposition-ruled states represent 70 crore people and they are treated unfairly. The Centre has waged a Hindustan-Pakistan war on these states. Are these people not from India," Kejriwal asked.
"The Centre is troubling the Opposition-ruled states in three ways — first, the central government is not releasing the dues of these states; second, the Centre is creating obstacles in the state governments' work using Governors and LGs; it is putting Opposition leaders using central agencies," Kejriwal said.
'We Are Not Begging'
Accusing the Centre of withholding funds due to the states, Kejriwal asked if the money is not disbursed, how will the governments function? "We are not begging, nor are we asking funds for our families. We are seeking funds for the people of our states," Kejriwal said. He said the fund allotment is decided by the Constitution, but the Centre has snatched away the people's constitutional rights.
Kejriwal said Kerala is owed Rs 8,400 crore and Punjab is owed over Rs 8,000 crore. "Delhi pays Rs 2 lakh crore as income tax, but we get back only Rs 325 crore. Even the British did not loot India this much."
Kejriwal's Warning To BJP
Kejriwal said that the ED has been weaponised by the Centre. "Till now, there had been a legal system by which a person would be jailed after his guilt is proven in a court of law. But now, the government decides whom to imprison, jails him, and then frames cases against that person," Kejriwal said.
He said that the government has brought in a new law — Prevention of Money Laundering Act — by which a person will have to remain in jail till his innocence is proven. He said Hemant Soren was imprisoned even before his case started. "What if the case takes 15 years to end? Will CM Soren remain in jail for all these years," he asked.
In a stern warning, Kejriwal said: "The wheel of time keeps turning. What will happen tomorrow when we come to power at the Centre and you sit in the Opposition? This law won't spare you either."