Coining a new term “Alcohol Affected Party” for the ruling AAP, the Delhi Congress on Thursday launched its ‘anthem’ with the theme of "Har jarurat hogi puri, Delhi me hai Congress jaruri", for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, encompassing key schemes and promises for the people of the capital.
The song — ‘AAP ke paap pardafansh (uncovering the AAP’s sins)’ — was unveiled in the presence of senior Delhi Congress leaders and AICC’s chairman of the media and publicity department Pawan Khera.
Addressing the media during the launch event, Khera accused the AAP government and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of corruption in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy “Kejriwal came to power raising the slogan of clean politics, but his reality is now evident,” said Khera. “It is unprecedented in Indian history for a chief minister to be accused of a scam on such a scale — both nationally and internationally.” Hitting out at Sisodia, Khera said Delhi voters now do not want a “manager” of liquor scam to provide education to their children.
Khera also played an audio clip of sitting AAP MLA Sharad Chauhan, who is again contesting the elections in which the latter is purportedly heard opposing the controversial excise policy during a discussion with the then Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. In the purported conversation, AAP’s Narela MLA Sharad Chauhan is heard saying that he objected to the excise policy but Sisodia tells him that it was needed to generate party funds for fighting elections in Gujarat, Goa and Punjab. At present, the money for the Delhi election is coming from Punjab,” said Chauhan in the audio recording.
"We all know that alcohol is harmful for health and its addiction destroys the entire family. We all have seen that how the addiction to earn money from alcohol destroyed an entire state. They have destroyed the world class infrastructure of Delhi (and turned it) into a pile of garbage," Khera alleged. "This is the sitting MLA of Narela Sharad Chauhan, who was talking to someone and said that he was with Manish (Sisodia) when (Vijay) Nair brought the liquor policy. And he asked Manish don't do this, there will be a big mess as the liquor shops will open in every area.
"Manish said that if he does not do this then how the money will come to contest the elections. Then, Chauhan further stated that the money came from this for the elections of Gujarat and Goa. Now it is coming from Punjab," Khera said, adding that these were Chauhan's words.
"Manish told me that you also settle with two companies. I also made a plan, but I did not do it and I got saved, otherwise I would have also been in jail today," Khera said that Chauhan was saying so, citing the audio clip.