Will not allow AAP to open account in Himachal assembly polls: Anurag Thakur

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday said the AAP will not be able open its account in the upcoming Himachal Pradesh assembly polls and rejected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s claims that his colleague Satyendra Jain was arrested as he was the party’s election in-charge in the hill state. “Why should we be afraid of the AAP? They contested 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh and lost deposits on all seats. They could not open their account in four states … we will not allow them to open their account in Himachal as well,” Thakur said in the inaugural session of the Doordarshan Conclave here.

He said top Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders in Himachal Pradesh had quit the party to join the BJP.

Thakur accused Kejriwal of shielding “corrupt” ministers and “making tall claims” of being “an honest person”.

Himachal Pradesh goes to polls later this year.

Asked about the summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Thakur wondered whether allegations against them should go uninvestigated just because they belong to a political party.

“Why are they afraid of the ED? Should those who have committed economic offences be allowed to go scot-free just because they belong to a political party or belong to a family of prime ministers,” Thakur asked.

Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money laundering case. The AAP had termed the arrest a political move ahead of the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls.

The ED had summoned the Congress president and her MP son Rahul Gandhi for questioning in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper. PTI SKU CK