'Better if People Read the Constitution': Modi on Kejriwal's Allegation That PM Decides Who Goes to Jail

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said leaders like Arvind Kejriwal should read the Constitution and the law of the country, while responding to an allegation on who decides which politician should be put behind bars. The AAP convener, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the liquor policy case, has said it is the prime minister who decides who will go to jail.

In an interview to news agency ANI, Prime Minister Modi reacted to Kejriwal’s allegation by saying he does not need to say anything about this topic. “It would be better if these people read the Constitution, read the law of the country, I do not need to say anything to anyone,” he said.

During the interview, the PM spoke about Kejriwal’s bail and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s remarks on the judiciary, to his relationship with Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, high voter turnout in Kashmir and more, at his official residence on Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi.

As part of its campaign during the Lok Sabha elections and otherwise, the INDIA bloc has repeatedly alleged that the BJP-led Centre uses probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax department (I-T) to suppress the opposition.

Reacting to this, PM Modi questioned the media’s inability to ask for proof from those who make these allegations. Dismissing them as “garbage” and stressing on his government’s “zero tolerance” policy on corruption, he said he will “convert this garbage into manure and produce good things for country from it”.

“Ask the person who is throwing this garbage, where is the proof? I believe in recycling, so I will recycle this garbage into manure and will produce some good things for the country from it,” he said, adding that without proof, the onus should not be on the Centre to respond to these claims.

He added: “What is the mandate of the Modi government? Modi government has told its officers that there should be zero tolerance towards corruption. So, it is now the responsibility of those sitting in office to take this on. When Manmohan Singh was in power for 10 years, Rs 34 lakh was seized [which can fit into a school bag] and, currently, the ED has seized Rs 2,200 crore in the last 10 years. The one who has brought back Rs 2,200 crore to the country should be respected and not abused. The one whose money has gone is abusing; this means that whoever has a part in stealing money will shout after being caught.”

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