DL-KEJRIWAL-PNB

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today alleged that the top leadership of the BJP government was involved in the Rs 11,400-crore alleged fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) which was why billionaire could Nirav Modi flee the country. Talking to reporters here, the chief minister said the central government should answer when Modi and embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya would be arrested. "Nirav Modi fled the country after committing a scam of Rs 11,000 crore which cannot merely be a coincidence. Lots of agencies are involved in it and it is not possible until it gets nod from the top," he alleged. "So, it is clear that top brass of the Centre is involved in this matter. How can it be possible that Vijay Mallya ran away with Rs 9,000 crore and Nirav Modi escaped with Rs 11,000 crore, which clearly indicates that top leadership of the central government is directly involved in it," Kejriwal alleged. Yesterday, the BJP had alleged that multi-crore scam involving the billionaire jewellery designer happened during the UPA rule and the Congress was spreading lies to mislead the public. Kejriwal said the people wanted to know whether their money in the bank was safe or not. "Some people called me as well and inquired about their deposited money. The government (Centre) should answer when Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya will be arrested as the entire country wants to know about this," Kejriwal asked. The chief minister also alleged the scams that had happened during the previous Congress-led UPA government were still going on under the current government. "Whatever scams took place during the Congress governments regime are still going on. Not even a single one was stopped. People had voted for the BJP in 2014, hoping that it would bring some change, but nothing has changed," Kejriwal alleged. "Not even a single person (involved in alleged scams during the UPA regime) has been sent to jail. Both the parties (BJP and Congress) are hand in glove. Nothing has been changed, and people are only being fooled," he alleged. Yesterday, the BJP, which fielded Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to counter the Congress' charge, had claimed that it was under the NDA government that scams committed during the UPA rule were being unearthed now. "The original sin took place during the Congress regime. It multiplied, it took traction under the Congress regime," she had told reporters yesterday. "We are not conspiring to help scamsters flee the country, but the BJP government is catching them instead," she had said.