'Stays in Sheesh Mahal, did biggest liquor scam': Rahul Gandhi's scathing attack on Arvind Kejriwal  

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of failing the people of Delhi and abandoning promises of clean politics. “Arvind Kejriwal says anything that comes to his mind,” Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Delhi.

“When he came, he had a small car and had said that he will do a new kind of politics. He had said he will change Delhi, but when poor people were in need, he wasn’t there, when riots happened, he wasn’t there. He said he will do clean politics, but in Delhi, the biggest scam of liquor happened. And you must have seen the photo of his house. Kejriwal stays in a palace, 'Sheesh Mahal.'”

Gandhi's attack on Kejriwal will be a blow to the unity of the opposition as both AAP and Congress are part of the INDIA bloc, which was created to counter the BJP.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Ajay Maken also slammed Kejriwal, raising questions about Delhi’s water supply and alleged lapses in welfare schemes for girls. “If Arvind Kejriwal is lying about mixing poison in the water, it is treason,” Maken said, referring to Kejriwal’s statement that Delhi’s water had been “poisoned” by the Haryana government. Maken added that both Kejriwal’s claims and the Haryana government’s actions needed thorough investigation.

During a press conference, Maken accused Kejriwal’s government of dismantling schemes initiated by former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Highlighting the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) findings, he alleged that the Delhi government withheld Rs 618 crore meant for 3.2 lakh girls under the Ladli Yojana.

“Kejriwal has done injustice to the girl child of Delhi. He has ruined all the beneficial schemes for girls,” Maken said, adding that the INDIA bloc allies should recognise Congress as the only party capable of effectively challenging the BJP. His comments were aimed at some opposition parties like Mamata Banerjee's TMC, and Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) that have backed the AAP in Delhi.

Last week, Maken accused the AAP of corruption amounting to Rs 382 crore, citing discrepancies in the CAG report. "A chief minister who claimed to fight corruption and used to accuse the Congress based on CAG reports is now withholding the report from being presented in the Assembly," he had said.

Rahul Gandhi's criticism today further intensifies the spotlight on Kejriwal as Delhi prepares for assembly elections on February 5. While Congress ruled Delhi for 15 years, it has failed to secure a single seat in the last two elections, with AAP emerging as the dominant force. In 2015 and 2020, AAP secured 67 and 62 seats respectively.