False cases being slapped to weaken opposition, atmosphere of fear created in country: Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: False cases are being slapped in an attempt to subdue and threaten opposition leaders and parties, and an "atmosphere of fear" has been created, which is not good for the country, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said here on Friday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo said this in response to reporters' queries on the several raids carried out by central agencies.

"We are seeing how false cases are being slapped in an attempt to subdue and threaten opposition leaders, opposition parties," Kejriwal said.

In many instances, people are being "split" to induct them into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is not good for democracy, he charged.

Kejriwal's comments came two days after senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money-laundering probe linked to the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy case.

Kejriwal claimed that not only opposition leaders, but many businessmen are "also being targeted".

"An atmosphere of fear that has been created in the country, not just in politics, but also in business and trade and industry, this atmosphere of fear is not good for the country. A country cannot grow (like this). The country will not progress by playing this agency-agency game," he said.

The chief minister was interacting with reporters during his visit to the Ghazipur landfill site in east Delhi.

Asked about the charges levelled against Singh, Kejriwal said "everything is false, all statements made are false".

The anti-money laundering agency arrested Singh on Wednesday. A court here remanded the Rajya Sabha MP in the ED's custody for five days on Thursday.

Kejriwal hit out at the ruling BJP at the Centre, saying it had earlier alleged a "bus scam" in Delhi, then a "classroom scam", a "power scam", scams in road construction and water supply, but "nothing came out".

This liquor "scam" is also "fabricated", he said, adding that no exchange of money had taken place and the investigating agencies have no evidence to the contrary to show in court.

"Their (BJP's) intention is to entangle people with these agencies and they will neither work themselves not let others work," the chief minister said.

Once it becomes clear that this "liquor scam" was nothing at all, "they will come up with a new scam", he said.

The intentions of the BJP are "wrong", Kejriwal said, adding that large-heartedness would have been that the saffron party built more schools, hospitals and mohalla clinics than the AAP government in Delhi.

This is not large-heartedness that "they will not let us build more schools and hospitals", he said.