Ex-minister accuses Kejriwal of graft

The allegation by Mishra, who was sacked from the AAP dispensation on Saturday night, came amid growing rumblings in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Mishra, whose surprise sacking came days after he sided with senior party leader Kumar Vishwas who has been at loggerheads with the AAP leadership, said he has given a statement to Lt Governor Anil Baijal regarding various irregularities seen by him during his two-year stint as a Cabinet minister in the Kejriwal government.

“I saw with my own eyes Satyendar Jain giving Rs 2 crore in cash to Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. When I asked Kejriwal, he said such things happen in politics and it will be revealed later,” Mishra told reporters after paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial in Rajghat here. He also alleged that Jain, the Health and PWD minister in AAP government, told him ‘personally’ that he had ‘settled a land deal of Kejriwal’s relative’.

“Jain personally told me that he had settled a land deal worth Rs 50 crore of Kejriwal’s relative. When I told Kejriwal, he said that it was a lie and asked me to have faith in him.” 

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the allegations of corruption levelled by Mishra did not merit a response. “His allegations do not merit a response. He has been sacked due to poor performance,” Sisodia told reporters. “The allegations are so absurd and there are no facts,” he added. 

However, Mishra claimed that he was removed after he put pressure on the party leaders over matters of ‘corruption’ that have been doing rounds for quite some time.

Social activist Anna Hazare on Sunday said he was pained to see his ‘former colleague in the anti-corruption crusade’ Arvind Kejriwal facing allegations of accepting money. “It is painful for me to see what is going on in the Delhi government. It is disheartening to see my former colleague in the anti-corruption crusade, Kejriwal, facing charges of accepting money,” Hazare told reporters at his village Ralegan Siddhi. “I would study the matter in-depth and then issue a detailed statement,” he said.