The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted raids at AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan’s premises here over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Delhi Waqf Board.
Khan (49), who represents the Okhla constituency, is being probed under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on FIRs registered against him by the anti corruption bureau and the CBI, officials said.
The development comes close on the heels of the arrest of AAP leader Sanjay Singh in the Delhi excise policy case.
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi condemned the raids in the strongest terms with party MP Raghav Chadha claiming that central agencies are “silent” in BJP-ruled states and are “violent” in states ruled by opposition parties.
Addressing a press conference, he said during the UPA regime, from 2004 to 2014, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 112 places, while the number of such raids went up to 3,100 locations between 2014 to 2023 under the BJP rule.
Chadha further claimed that 95 per cent of cases registered by the ED and the CBI are against the opposition leaders. He said the central government has jailed several of the AAP leaders under “false” cases and this could only be done by forces “scared” of the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
Hitting out at the raids, AAP workers demonstrated on the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg and marched towards the BJP headquarters where many of them were stopped and detained by police.
They shouted slogans against the Centre and said the dispensation was scared of the AAP and that is why it was leveling baseless allegations against its leaders ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Khan was arrested by the anti corruption bureau (ACB) in the case related to alleged irregularities in appointments, and misappropriation of funds and other allegations over misuse of his position in the Delhi Waqf Board. He was later granted bail in the case.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Sanjay Singh was produced before a Delhi Court on Tuesday where he was directed not to speak to the media in the court premises, saying it creates a security problem.
The court also directed the media to not ask him questions when he was produced before it.
Speaking to reporters before entering the court, Singh said all the ‘honest’ people were with his party while the ‘dishonest’ are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The court later extended his ED custody to three more days.
The AAP leader was arrested by ED on October 4 in connection with a money laundering probe related to the 2021-22 Delhi liquor scam. His close associates were also questioned by the federal agency.