Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today took a swipe at jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as someone who has "very limited time", alluding to the end of his chief ministership.
Mr Puri said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, is likely preparing to take the top post soon. "Kejriwal's wife was not only a colleague in the revenue service. They have sidelined everyone. Now madam is likely preparing for the top post," the Housing and Urban Affairs Minister told reporters in Delhi today.
"The madam is perhaps preparing to hold the post like how Rabri Devi did in Bihar," Mr Puri added, referring to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Yadav's wife who became Chief Minister after he was jailed in many corruption cases.
"Kejriwal didn't answer summons nine times. Then the Enforcement Directorate officers went to his house. Let it be, Kejriwal's time is very limited," said Mr Puri, who is also the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister.
Mr Kejriwal has been arrested over alleged money laundering in framing the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case. His custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was extended by four days yesterday.
The Union Minister also criticised the Congress for protesting over legitimate tax demand. "Everyone has to file tax returns. Their revenue has only been increasing," he said.
The Congress received a Rs 1,700 crore notice from the Income Tax Department, a day after the Delhi High Court dismissed the party's petition challenging the tax notices. The fresh notice is for assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21, and includes penalty and interest.
Referring to a planned protest by the Opposition INDIA bloc on March 31, Mr Puri said, "Their time is over. Talk about them in the past tense."
While Mr Kejriwal is in the ED custody, his wife Sunita Kejriwal today made her third video announcement on his behalf, announcing a "Kejriwal ko aashirwad" campaign. She shared a WhatsApp number and asked people to send messages for Mr Kejriwal.
Sunita Kejriwal is a former Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer, who served in the Income Tax department for 22 years. She met Arvind Kejriwal during a training programme in Bhopal. She is from the 1994 batch, while her husband is from the 1995 batch.
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