Terming it as a “black day” in the history of state politics, Opposition parties lambasted the AAP-led Arvind Kejriwal Government over the arrest of Delhi law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar for procuring false degrees and demanded his resignation. “law should take its own course and Kejriwal should have acted earlier for Tomar’s resignation. The kind of charges levelled against him (Tomar), which have been completely investigated. Police thinks 10 times before arresting a Minister. And hence, police had been to university and all the places. Definitely, it is a black day in the political history of Delhi,” BJP president Satish Upadhyay said.
Asked about AAP’s protest over Tomar’s arrest, Upadhyay said the style of Kejriwal-led Government is such that “what they (AAP) say is right, others are wrong”. “This Government is a Government of U-turns. Autocracy and dictatorship... Did Delhi want such an experimentIJ Did Delhi want this kind of Government whose Ministers are caught in fake document casesIJ Such allegations against a Minister... That too a law Minister... There can’t be more shameful thing for Delhi,” Upadhyay said, demanding Tomar to first resign and then prove his innocence.
He also said when police has arrested Tomar, the AAP Government should cooperate, as law should take its own course and no one was above law. The BJP leader also claimed that there was no politics of vengeance involved in Tomar’s arrest by Delhi Police, which is under control of BJP-led Central Government. “Where is the politics of vengeanceIJ This has been going on for the past three months. Charges have been levelled. Nobody is above law. Kejriwal himself was arrested,” Upadhyay said.
Former Union law Minister and Congress leader Veerappa Moily lambasted AAP for having Tomar as a law Minister. “I don’t go into the merit of details but the very fact that a law Minister has been arrested will demonstrate the fact that Delhi Government is not bothered about the law and order and the law Department is entrusted to a person who has potential enough to be arrested,” Upadhyay said.
Reacting to Tomar’s arrest former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav tweeted: “The real issue is not technicalities of Tomar’s arrest; that’s for courts to decide. Issue here is Government and party’s refusal to come clean.” Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Maken blamed Delhi Government for not appointing lokayukta and said, “The Bar Council had lodged a complaint that the law Minister of Delhi has forged law degree, so the police has acted.” But the moot question is why the lokayukta had not been appointed by the Government so far. “It has been four months and the Delhi Government hasn’t appointed lokayukta. The reason for not appointing lokayukta is that it’s not only the law Minister but there are many other MlAs also who are alleged to have fake degrees,” he added.