AAP sniffs political conspiracy, rejects Amanatullah’s resignation

Tribune News Service 

New Delhi, September 11

Backing its Okhla legislator Amanatullah Khan, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today refused to accept his resignation smelling a "political conspiracy" in the case in which an FIR was registered this week over a complaint of molestation made by his sister-in-law. 

However, the Opposition BJP slammed the AAP government calling the entire episode as a "drama" in view of the ACB enquiry into the alleged wrongdoings by Amanatullah in the Delhi Waqf Board. 

Addressing the media, senior party leader and Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia said the case is related to a six-year-old family dispute and he is being "dragged into it" so the resignation will not be accepted. 

"We refused to accept the resignation. It's a six-year-old family matter. We have investigated the allegations and found that he is being dragged into it by his in-laws," said Sisodia while terming the allegations "false and fabricated". 

Stating that there is clear evidence of a "deliberate conspiracy" to malign the MLA and the party, the AAP leader asserted that the party stands by him and refuses to accept his resignation.

It is understood that Khan's relative, who also accused her husband of forcing her to have physical relationship with the MLA, filed the complaint at Jamia Nagar police station. The complainant also charged her in-laws with dowry allegations. 

It is worth mentioning that Khan was arrested following similar allegations of threats for rape and murder levelled against him by a 35-year-old woman in July. But Khan had rejected all charges claiming he was being "targeted". 

Attacking Delhi Police and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, Sisodia claimed that since Amantullah as Chairman of the Wakf Board "exposed how Wakf lands have been illegally occupied by BJP and Congress leaders he is now being targeted by the LG, the ACB and the Delhi Police and this case is part of the continued conspiracy to embroil him in false cases". 

It seems that Delhi Police has deployed a system whereby any passer-by can make an allegation on an AAP member, and however baseless the charge, Delhi Police will register a case and arrest the AAP member. Similarly a few editors are doing exactly the same thing and they promptly run any negative news on AAP without sparing a moment to verify it.

Sisodia also upped the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah raising the "snoopgate" episode and questioning the media's response to it. 

BJP calls it drama scripted by the CM

On the other side, BJP president Satish Upadhyay claimed that MLA Amanutullah Khan's resignation drama is "scripted by the CM Arvind Kejriwal" as they know well that the ACB enquiry of his "corruption and misdeeds as Delhi Waqf Board Chairman is complete and Amanutullah may be arrested soon". 

The haste with which he addressed the resignation offer to Kejriwal yesterday evening appears to have been motivated by personal prior knowledge of his sister-in-law reaching a police station in the afternoon, he claimed.