Arrested AAP MLA Naresh Balyan is victim of extortion himself, claims Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal claimed on Sunday that a party MLA from Delhi who was arrested in an alleged extortion case was a victim of the crime himself.

The MLA, Naresh Balyan, was arrested by the police’s Crime Branch on Saturday after a purported audio clip surfaced of a conversation between him and gangster Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu. The MLA was on Sunday sent to two-day police custody, ANI reported.

The Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that Balyan took the gangster’s help to engage in extortion.

Kejriwal, however, claimed on Sunday that the MLA from Uttam Nagar was a victim of extortion by gangsters himself. He said that Balyan complained to the police about getting threat calls from Sangwan to him and his family on May 23 last year.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief claimed that Balyan, in his complaint, told the police that he received 35 to 40 calls from the same number “for the purpose of threatening and extortion”. Kejriwal alleged that the police arrested Balyan instead of acting on his complaint.

“Through Naresh Balyan’s arrest, [Union Home Minister] Amit Shah has indicated to the people of Delhi that if they complain, they may be arrested or even assaulted,” Kejriwal said at a press conference. The Union home ministry controls law and order in Delhi.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief reiterated his allegation that he was attacked on Saturday, referring to an incident in which a man allegedly threw water on him during a march in Delhi’s Sheikh Sarai area. “A harmless liquid was thrown on me, but it could have been harmful too,” he said.

AAP has become party of goons, alleges BJP

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia on Saturday alleged that Balyan was involved in extortion with a gangster’s help, and claimed that gangsters “were the biggest supporters of AAP”, ANI reported.

“AAP has become a party of goons,” Bhatia alleged. “Gangsters are the biggest supporters of AAP. They openly extort money by threatening the common man under the instructions of AAP MLAs. With the consent of Arvind Kejriwal, AAP MLAs are running extortion rackets by intimidating innocent citizens.”

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva questioned Kejriwal about his reaction to the incident in Sheikh Sarai, claiming that he labelled the man who threw water on him as an acid thrower, according to The Indian Express.

“A young man, whose job was lost due to administrative mistakes and negligence by Kejriwal’s government, tried to throw water on Kejriwal yesterday,” Sachdeva said. “Instead of understanding the sentiments of the youth, Kejriwal labeled him an acid thrower and sought to portray him as a criminal… it looks like he is not only losing public support, he but also losing his political and mental balance as well.”