Gandhinagar/Vadodara, May 31 (IANS) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor Arvind Kejriwal of spreading false allegations against the state police after an investigation into an alleged Intelligence Bureau (IB) verification call led to the arrest of two men, including a senior AAP leader.
“The number you called belongs to your own man. Why are you building a bundle of lies by portraying him as an IB officer?” Sanghavi said on Saturday, referring to Kejriwal’s earlier claim that AAP workers in Gujarat were being contacted and harassed by officials claiming to be from the IB.
The remarks came after Anand Cyber Crime Police arrested Ashok Oza, President of AAP’s Vadodara city unit, and Nitin Dobariya in connection with a case involving alleged impersonation of an IB officer and criminal intimidation.
The controversy began on May 28 when former Delhi MLA and AAP leader Durgesh Pathak posted on social media platform X alleging that Gujarat Police’s IB wing was threatening AAP workers.
The allegation was later amplified by Kejriwal, who claimed he had personally called the number involved and that the person who answered identified himself as an IB officer.
Kejriwal questioned under what authority such verification of party workers was being conducted and urged others receiving similar calls to come forward.
Following the social media posts, Anand district police launched an investigation after tracing the mobile number mentioned in the allegations to a resident of the district.
According to the police, the inquiry revealed that the caller was Nitin, a labour contractor originally from Rajkot district, and that the call had allegedly been planned by Ashok Oza.
Police said that a call was made from Dobariya’s phone to AAP worker Keshavji Chauhan, during which the caller falsely claimed to be speaking from the “Karelibaug IB Office” and allegedly threatened him in the name of verification.
Investigators also alleged that the incident stemmed from internal rivalry within the AAP.
According to the police, Chauhan had previously been assigned organisational work in Vadodara and was allegedly viewed by Oza as a political rival.
The call was allegedly intended to intimidate him and drive him out of the city.
Reacting to the findings, Deputy CM Sanghavi launched a broader attack on Kejriwal and the AAP leadership.
“World records are broken by the best. In fraud, in lies, in fakeness, Kejriwal stands undefeated,” he said.
He added: “What can one expect from a party whose very foundation rests on lies? This is the character of Kejriwal and his associates… tell lies, tell them loudly and tell them repeatedly.”
Deputy CM Sanghavi also said, “But Kejriwal ji, this is Gujarat. Here you will have to face the truth,” before questioning what the AAP leader hoped to achieve through “such petty politics”.
A case has been registered at Anand Cyber Crime Police Station under Sections 61(2), 204 and 351(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Section 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
The Police said further investigation into the matter is ongoing.
–IANS
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