Maken’s tweet comes two days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Kejriwal to express solidarity after the Central Bureau of Investigation called the CM for questioning.
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Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken took to Twitter on Sunday and appealed to “capable advocates” and “steering committee members” of the Congress party to not represent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying it “sends the wrong message to our cadres and confuses them”.
Mr. Maken said that representing the CM “ultimately benefits the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by dividing the Congress party votes”.
The Delhi government has often called upon senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi to fight its legal battles, including the ongoing tussle with the Centre in the Supreme Court over the control of Capital’s administrative services.
‘No need for sympathy’
In a lengthy tweet, Mr. Maken said, “Individuals like Kejriwal and his associates who face serious corruption charges should not be shown any sympathy or support.” He added that the allegations of “LiquorGate” and “GheeGate” must be thoroughly investigated and the guilty be punished.
Mr. Maken, who has served as a Minister at the Centre and in the Delhi Cabinet, said, “It is important for all political leaders, including those from the Congress, to recognise that the money gained through corrupt means by Kejriwal has been used against the party in several States, including Punjab, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi.”
Mr. Maken’s tweet comes two days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Mr. Kejriwal to express solidarity after the Central Bureau of Investigation called the CM for questioning. However, the Delhi unit of the party has stood by its stand of demanding the resignation of Mr. Kejriwal over the alleged liquor scam.
‘Watered-down Lokpal’
In his tweet, Mr. Maken also said that the AAP chief, who dissolved his own government in February 2014 over not being able to introduce a strong Lokpal bill, brought a watered-down version of the bill when he came to power again in 2015.
Mr. Maken said a strong Lokpal could have investigated the allegations of corruption that the CBI is now probing. When reached for a comment, AAP did not respond.
