New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Centre over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s proposed legislation requiring Chief Ministers and Ministers to resign if jailed, calling it a political tool to weaken the Opposition.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal dismissed the move as a “smokescreen” to shield the BJP’s own corruption.
Drawing sharp comparisons, Kejriwal asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who “inducts tainted politicians and elevates them as Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers,” would also step down by the same logic.
Kejriwal Questions Double Standards
Taking to X, Kejriwal said:
“Should a person who includes criminals of serious crimes in his party, gets all their cases dismissed, and makes them ministers, deputy chief ministers, or chief ministers, also be required to resign from his position? How many years of imprisonment should such a person face?
If someone is falsely implicated in a case, sent to jail, and later acquitted, how many years of imprisonment should the minister who falsely implicated him face?”
Kejriwal contrasted his 160-day tenure while governing from jail with the last seven months of BJP’s rule in Delhi. “During the so-called ‘Jail Government,’ there was no shortage of electricity, water, medicines, or accountability in schools. But in just seven months, the BJP has wrecked everything,” he said, accusing the ruling party of incompetence.
Sisodia Joins the Attack
Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia backed Kejriwal’s statement, arguing that ministers who file false cases should themselves face prison terms.
“If someone is falsely implicated in a case, sent to jail, and later acquitted, then how many years of imprisonment should the minister who filed the false case against them receive?” Sisodia posted.
Priyanka Kakkar: ‘Bill Is a Weapon to Break Opposition’
At a press conference in Delhi, AAP’s Chief National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar accused the BJP of attempting to topple Opposition governments through legislation.
She said the Bill was essentially a message: “If you surrender and join BJP—like Himanta Biswa Sarma, Suvendu Adhikari, Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar, or Hasan Mushrif—you’ll be sworn in as a minister at 5 am. But if you refuse, your position will be taken away within 30 days. This is a shameful day for democracy.”
Kakkar also countered Amit Shah’s criticism that Kejriwal should not have run the government from jail.
“The people do not care whether the government is run from inside jail or outside, as long as their work gets done. Delhiites fondly remember that period because electricity, water, schools, and hospitals were functioning far better than today. Under BJP rule, people are facing 8-hour power cuts, dry taps, sewage flooding, skyrocketing school fees, and hospitals without medicines or treatment.”
Kakkar alleged that BJP has repeatedly targeted AAP through central agencies but failed to prove corruption charges. “The Supreme Court itself has called the ED crooked and the CBI a caged parrot. The Court said there was no evidence against Kejriwal. Even in Satyendar Jain’s case, the CBI is filing a closure report,” she said.
She further argued:
“If a leader is corrupt, he should be jailed for life, not 30 days. But if someone is proven innocent, those who framed him should serve the same sentence. This Bill is nothing but a ‘legalised method’ to break governments and weaken the Opposition.”
