New Delhi, August 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday accused the BJP of political vendetta after former Delhi Minister and senior party leader Satyendar Jain was arrested by the Delhi government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in an alleged corruption case linked to Delhi Jal Board sewage treatment plant tenders.
Jain was among six people arrested in the case, which concerns alleged irregularities and criminal conspiracy in the tendering process for the augmentation and upgradation of sewage treatment plants. The ACB has alleged manipulation of tender conditions and a financial trail involving private entities.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the BJP was using investigative agencies and false cases to target political opponents, particularly ahead of elections in Punjab.
Taking to X, Kejriwal said the previous case against Jain had been “fabricated” and claimed the latest case would also be proven false.
“How long will this BJP dictatorship continue? Whoever they want, they put behind bars by levelling false charges,” Kejriwal said, adding that the alleged misuse of power would eventually be exposed.
He further claimed that the BJP’s “paap ka ghada” had filled to the brim and asserted that the entire AAP and people of the country stood with Jain.
AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia also alleged that Jain’s arrest shortly before the Punjab Assembly elections reflected the BJP’s apprehension over its prospects in the state.
Sisodia claimed that Jain had earlier spent around 2.5 years in jail in what he described as a false case and accused the BJP of again relying on agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, ACB and CBI for electoral purposes.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the BJP had followed a similar strategy before the Delhi Assembly elections, when several senior AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, Sisodia and Jain, were arrested.
He claimed that the latest arrest was aimed at disrupting AAP’s organisational preparations in Punjab.
Singh also highlighted AAP’s claims regarding its governance record in Punjab, including free electricity, education initiatives, a women’s financial assistance scheme, pilgrimage programmes for senior citizens and expanded health insurance coverage.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that several corruption cases involving the Delhi government had not received comparable action. He cited what he described as a Rs 650-crore health scam, a Rs 90-crore cycle scam and a rice scam involving hundreds of crores, and questioned Jain’s arrest in the DJB case.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi termed the arrest another instance of alleged political vendetta and said there was a limit to “lies and oppression”.
AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda questioned Jain’s alleged responsibility for the DJB tender, arguing that the tender in question was issued in October 2022, while Jain had been arrested in May that year in an Enforcement Directorate case.
“The tender was issued in October 2022, while the BJP had already put Satyendar Jain in jail in a fake case back in May 2022,” Dhanda said, alleging that the latest action was politically motivated because Jain was serving as AAP’s Punjab co-in-charge.
The ACB, however, has alleged irregularities in the DJB tendering process and is investigating the roles of public officials, private entities and intermediaries. The agency has also alleged a financial trail involving former DJB CEO Udit Prakash Rai and private entities.
The political confrontation over Jain’s arrest is likely to intensify as parties prepare for the Punjab Assembly elections.
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