The Enforcement Directorate on April 18 questioned former Delhi Waqf Board chairman and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan for over 12 hours for his alleged involvement in a recruitment scam.
The agency had summoned Mr. Khan to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. On his way to the ED office earlier in the day, he told mediapersons that the charges against him were baseless.
Around 10 p.m., the AAP leader issued a pre-recorded video statement on his X handle saying he had been arrested. However, after midnight, Mr. Khan came out of the ED office and told the media that he had been questioned and his statements had been recorded.
While senior AAP leader Atishi said in a post on X, “BJP people: you can put every leader and worker of Aam Aadmi Party in jail; people of Delhi will still vote for Aam Aadmi Party,” the BJP welcomed the development.
The ED is conducting a money-laundering probe against the AAP leader based on a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in November 2016, alleging that Mr. Khan, as the Waqf Board chairman, had recruited over 35 persons, including the board’s chief executive officer, in violation of Section 24 of the Wakf Act and Delhi Wakf Rules.
It was also alleged that encroachers and tenants were allowed to occupy Waqf properties in Delhi in contravention of the Waqf Properties Lease Rules, causing losses to the board. In October 2023, the ED had conducted searches at multiple locations, including the premises linked to Mr. Khan, in the same case.
The Okhla MLA’s questioning comes less than a month after the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and nearly a month before Delhi is scheduled to vote in the general election.
The ED arrested Mr. Kejriwal, former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh (recently released on bail), and the party’s former communications in-charge Vijay Nair for their alleged role in the Delhi excise policy case.
‘Pressure from BJP’
In his video statement on X, Mr. Khan said he will continue to work for his constituency’s people. “I have asked my team to ensure that no one in my constituency is left wanting for basic needs. I have asked them to go to each colony and ensure that the people of Okhla are not affected,” Mr. Khan said.
Speaking about the case, he said, “When I was given the charge of the board, it was riddled with problems. But I tried to do my best to bring it back to a functional state.” He also said that despite facing pressure from the BJP to leave AAP, he will continue to stay with the party. “It is not in my blood to betray someone. I will not do it,” said the AAP leader.
Mr. Singh, who visited the Okhla MLA’s residence later in the day, said in a post on X in Hindi, “Modi government is fully engaged in Operation Lotus. Ministers and MLAs are being arrested on the basis of fake cases.”
‘Deceived people’
Reacting to the development, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accused the AAP leader of engaging in financial corruption and deceiving the minority community by embezzling the Waqf Board’s properties and funds.
