'To save son, MSR gave false statements,' says Sunita Kejriwal, calls Delhi CM victim of 'political conspiracy'; BJP hits back

NEW DELHI: Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, released a video statement on Saturday, criticising Mangutta Reddy’s statements to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), pointing out the inconsistencies in Reddy's claims. She pointed out that Reddy himself had admitted to meeting Arvind Kejriwal for the first and only time on March 16, 2021, questioning the likelihood of someone asking for money during their first encounter in the presence of multiple witnesses.
"Mangutta Reddy's son and family were tortured for 5 months and after this MSR gave a false statement to ED. The court also while granting bail to Kejriwal ji said that Mangutta Reddy was given a lollipop in the form of bail," Sunita said in her statement.

The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi granted 'approver' status to Magunta Raghava, son of MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, on May 2. Raghava was arrested on February 10, 2023, in connection with the scam. The court had previously declared another accused, Delhi-based businessman Dinesh Arora, as an approver. The CBI has also interrogated Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy regarding alleged kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in the alleged scam.
Sunita further claimed that Mangutta Reddy's son and family were subjected to torture for five months, leading to Reddy providing a false statement to the ED. Sunita alleged that the court, while granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal, had said, "Mangutta Reddy was given a lollipop in the form of bail."
"Delhi's son Arvind Kejriwal has been made a victim of political conspiracy. He is an educated and staunchly honest person, and today we need to stand with him," Sunita added.
The Delhi high court on June 25 had put the bail of Kejriwal on hold in response to the plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain stayed the bail order in the alleged money laundering excise scam granted by the trial court on June 20 saying the "trial court did not apply its mind while granting bail to Kejriwal in money laundering case."
"Mastered the art of story-telling like her husband," alleges BJP
Sunita Kejriwal's remarks drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused that she has "mastered the art of story-telling like her husband" . The party alleged that she was "casting aspersions" on the judiciary through her comments.
"It's surprising to see her casting aspersions on the judiciary as during her story-telling she repeatedly says that the bail of MS Reddy's son was rejected when he gave a true statement and when he buckled under pressure and changed his statement, his son was granted bail by the court," Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said.
The ED had taken Kejriwal into custody on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case stemming from alleged improprieties in his government's now-defunct excise policy for 2021-22. Following his arrest by the CBI, he is presently under judicial custody.