Aam Aadmi Party Slams Goa BJP Over Case Against Arvind Kejriwal

PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today accused the BJP-led government in Goa of pressuring election officials to file an FIR against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with his bribery remarks.

The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Mapusa has issued a notice to Mr Kejriwal, who is also the AAP national convener, on a complaint filed against him for his bribery remarks made during the Goa assembly polls held last year.

The next hearing in the case is due on February 8.

The complaint was lodged by local Election Commission officials with the police in Mapusa town, 9km from Panaji.

Goa AAP convener Elvis Gomes told reporters that election officials had filed the FIR against Mr Kejriwal under pressure from the BJP-led government.

He recalled the Election Commission of India (ECI) had issued directives to its local officials in this regard.

“We (AAP) had filed a petition against the directives before the Delhi High Court, which is still being heard. During a hearing in November last year, the lawyer representing the ECI had submitted that an FIR had already been filed against Mr Kejriwal,” Mr Gomes said.

“But when we sought information under the Right To Information Act, we got the reply that none of the police stations has filed the FIR. At least till January no FIR had been filed,” he said.

On February 2, when the petition came up for hearing in the high court, AAP submitted the information obtained under the RTI Act, the leader said.

“The lawyer who had claimed that an FIR has been filed against Mr Kejriwal withdrew his statement. The next hearing in the matter will be held on February 26,” Mr Gomes said.

It is unfortunate that the same day (February 2), when a hearing took place in the Delhi High Court, the Goa government pressured election officials to file an FIR against him in the Mapusa court,” he added.

Mr Gomes said attempts were being made to derail the development and pro-people programmes undertaken in Delhi by the Arvind Kejriwal government.