Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP following the arrest of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, alleging that the action was politically motivated and describing it as part of a continuing pattern of targeting Opposition leaders.
Jain was arrested by the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch along with five others in connection with alleged irregularities in the tendering process for sewage treatment plant projects of the Delhi Jal Board. The case relates to allegations of manipulation of tender conditions and financial wrongdoing in projects for the augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants.
Kejriwal backs Jain
Reacting soon after the arrest, Kejriwal alleged that Jain had once again been taken into custody at the BJP’s behest. He argued that Jain had already endured a prolonged period in jail in an earlier case and claimed that the latest allegations would also fail to stand scrutiny.
Kejriwal questioned how long what he termed the BJP’s “dictatorship” would continue and accused the ruling party of putting political opponents behind bars through false cases. He also asked who would compensate Jain for the time spent in custody and the mental distress caused if the allegations were eventually not established.
The AAP chief said the party stood firmly behind Jain and predicted that the allegations against him would ultimately be exposed as false.
The claims constitute AAP’s political response to the arrest; the allegations against Jain and the other accused remain subject to investigation and judicial scrutiny.
Six arrested by ACB
Besides Jain, the ACB arrested former Delhi Jal Board CEO Udit Prakash Rai, former contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava and private individuals Nagendra Yadav, Raja Kumar Kurra and Pankaj Verma.
The case originated from an FIR registered on May 11, 2024, following a complaint from the Directorate of Vigilance. Investigators alleged large-scale irregularities and manipulation in the tender process relating to sewage treatment plants.
The Enforcement Directorate had subsequently investigated the alleged money-laundering aspect of the matter and filed a prosecution complaint in December 2025 against Jain and 13 others. That investigation concerned alleged corruption in the award of four Delhi Jal Board sewage treatment plant tenders.
AAP alleges political vendetta
AAP leaders sought to link the latest action to the political contest in Punjab, where the party is in power.
AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda argued that the chronology itself raised questions. According to him, the tender involved was issued in October 2022, whereas Jain had already been arrested in a separate case in May that year. He alleged that the latest arrest was intended to damage AAP ahead of the Punjab elections.
The party has repeatedly accused the BJP-led Centre and investigative agencies of using corruption investigations to weaken its leadership. The BJP and investigating agencies have consistently rejected such allegations in previous cases.
Fresh political confrontation
Jain’s arrest has once again brought his legal troubles into the centre of the political confrontation between AAP and the BJP.
The former Delhi minister had earlier spent an extended period in custody following his May 2022 arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a separate money-laundering case. Kejriwal invoked that experience while defending Jain on Tuesday, maintaining that the latest proceedings would meet the same fate he claims earlier allegations did.
The immediate focus will now shift to the evidence presented by the ACB and the judicial proceedings following the arrests. While AAP has framed the action as another instance of political persecution, investigators maintain that the case concerns alleged corruption in the award and execution of public infrastructure contracts.
The competing narratives are likely to intensify the political battle between the two parties, with AAP portraying Jain’s arrest as an attack on its leadership and the investigation placing renewed scrutiny on decisions taken during the party’s tenure in the Delhi government.