CBI raid had nothing to do with Kejriwal: Jaitley clarifies amid protests

With the Opposition attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government over the Central Bureau of Investigation raids on Delhi government offices, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office was not raided and the action related to a graft case registered before the Aam Aadmi Party came to power.

“The chief minister’s office has not been raided. The raid has nothing to do with Arvind Kejriwal or his tenure. There is a corruption case against an officer of Delhi government. The raid is in relation to that officer. It is the officer (office) that has been searched,” Jaitley said in Rajya Sabha amid noisy protests by opposition members.

An angry Opposition however forced three adjournments in the House over the issue by shouting slogans, alleging an “attack on federal structure” and an “undeclared Emergency” in the country.

Jaitley, the Leader of the House, also said that the case against the officer related to a period before Kejriwal’s tenure.

Attacking the government over the issue, Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress alleged that this was an “undeclared Emergency” in the country that the office of Delhi chief minister was being raided.

“This is not a party issue. This is about the federal structure of the country. This is a federal issue,” O’Brien said as some TMC members shouted slogans and entered the Well.

Members of Left parties and the Janata Dal-United were also standing in their seats when the issue was raised.

Congress members, who had earlier forced an adjournment in the house raising questions over the Arunachal Pradesh governor’s role, again trooped into the well raising anti-government slogans.

Jaitley said the TMC leader has “not been correctly informed” on the raid and insisted that “corruption is not an issue of federalism”.

As the din continued, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House till noon.

When the House reassembled, O’Brien again raked up the issue saying there has been a raid in the precincts of the chief minister’s office.

Jaitley retorted saying that the TMC member earlier said that the chief minister’s office was raided and has now changed it to the precincts of the CM’s office. “You are camouflaging corruption,” he said wondering whether corruption was a federal issue for Trinamool Congress. 

Accusing the government of “murdering Constitution”, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said “save the elected non-BJP state governments from this BJP government (at Centre)”, as Congress members kept shouting slogans like “stop the murder of democracy” and “stop the murder of Constitution”. 

“The government itself is putting hurdles in the functioning of the House. A chief minister’s office is being raided during the Session. This government does not want to run Parliament,” the Leader of Opposition said.

As the din continued Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House twice.

When the House reassembled at noon, Ansari asked the members to take up the Question Hour, but some Congress members kept raising slogans from the aisles.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi sought cooperation of the members in running the House and suggested to the Chair that Rajya Sabha could function till midnight to finish its business.

K C Tyagi of the Janata Dal-United also raised the issue of CBI raids, but could not be heard amid the din.

Ansari then adjourned the House till 2 pm.