Amanatullah Khan arrest sparks AAP-BJP row

New Delhi
The arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amanatullah Khan by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday sparked a war of words between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the former calling the search and arrest “hooliganism of BJP” and the latter maintaining that Khan “indulged in irregularities”.
Khan’s arrest, in connection with a probe into alleged money laundering related irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board and allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, was termed a ploy by the BJP in the run-up to the state assembly elections.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said: “As Delhi Assembly elections are drawing closer, BJP got Amanatullah arrested by ED without any case… BJP is hatching these conspiracies to win Delhi elections, but it will cost them dearly and they will lose elections.”
BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari said: “In this country, in the system of law, whoever does corruption according to the law, will go to jail. There is no new case against Amanatullah Khan. This investigation is already going on. The question is arising — what is Amanatullah Khan trying to hide that he does not want to allow ED to his residence? He has already gone to jail. There is only one place for hardcore corrupt people and that is jail.”
Before his arrest, Khan posted a video from his X handle, addressing the people of his assembly constituency and saying it was a “fake case where there is no evidence of corruption or wrongdoing”.
“At 7am, ED officers came to my house with a warrant to arrest me. My mother-in-law, who has cancer, had surgery just four days ago and is currently staying at my residence. I informed them (ED) about this in writing. I have responded to every notice they sent me, yet they are here under the guise of a warrant just to arrest me and disrupt our lives. For the past two years, they have been continuously harassing me, filing false cases. Every day, they create a new problem. It’s not just me — they are targeting our entire party. They have jailed our chief minister, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendar Jain. Now, they want to arrest me. Their goal is simply to break us and dismantle our party,” Khan said in a 140-second video message.
“This is the only work left for ED. Suppress every voice raised against BJP. Break it. Arrest and put in jail those who do not break or get suppressed,” AAP leader Manish Sisodia said in a post on X.
Khan, who has been the Okhla MLA since 2015, said in the video message that pending works of the constituency will be done. “I promise to the people of Okhla that we get all their pending works done, you don’t need to be worried or panic. We are not going to break, bend, or be scared. If they send us to jail, we are ready to go,” Khan said.
After the arrest, Sanjay Singh visited Khan’s family. “Amanatullah has been detained and put in jail because bail is being granted one after the other. Arvind Kejriwal is also about to get bail. But the BJP wants some news or the other, so they had Amanatullah Khan arrested, even though there is no case against him,” Singh said.
“BJP and PM Modi have crossed all limits of cruelty. Today, the whole country and Delhi is watching this. This action will prove very costly for the BJP… it will lose badly in the elections. Amanatullah Khan will also get justice. There is no evidence and case against him,” Singh said.
“In 2016, a fake case of Waqf Board was made, in which CBI filed a complaint. After investigating it for six years, CBI, while filing the final charge sheet, said that there is no case of any corruption or economic crime against Amanatullah Khan. In 2020, ACB and ED again filed a case in the same proceeding. After this ACB arrested Amanatullah Khan in 2022. Then the court, while granting him bail, said that there is no case of bribery or corruption. If this is not drama and comedy then what is it?” Singh said.
However, Delhi BJP leaders said his arrest was justified.
New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj said Amanatullah Khan was facing several serious allegations. “During his tenure as the chairman of the Waqf Board, he made illegal recruitments and misused funds meant for social and public welfare, which was being investigated by the CBI. Today, the ED has arrested him as part of a legal process. However, it is an old habit of the AAP to be completely immersed in propaganda and corruption, and they have done no work for the people. No one is above the law, and thus, Amanatullah Khan is accountable for why he looted the Waqf Board.”
Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta said Amanatullah Khan “amassed crores of rupees illegally and made 162 illegal recruitments.”
“Moreover, when he was the chairman of the Waqf Board, four members of the board filed complaints against him, but it is regrettable that AAP members themselves are trying to protect him. Amanatullah Khan has previously spent 11 days in jail, but his behaviour has not improved. I wonder why the AAP is compelled to shelter such criminal-minded people,” Gupta said.