In Satyendar Jain's Absence, Kejriwal's Dy Manish Sisodia to Take Over Health & Other Key Ministries

Over half a dozen portfolios allocated to Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, who is currently in Enforcement Directorate custody, have been handed over to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

These include – Health, Industries, Power, Home, Urban Development, Irrigation & Flood Control and Water portfolios.

Earlier in February this year, the charge of the Public Works Department (PWD) was taken from Jain and handed over to Sisodia. The change took place about a month after Kejriwal in the run up to the Punjab Assembly polls had claimed that Jain was going to be arrested by the ED.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday in a money laundering case and was sent to ED custody till June 9 on Tuesday.

The notification issued on Wednesday by the General Administration department of the Delhi government said, “In exercise of powers conferred under Rule 3 of GNCTD(Allocation of Business) Rules 193, Lt Governor in consultation with the Chief Minister is pleased to allocate portfolios of Health, Industries, Power, Home, Urban Development, Irrigation and Flood Control and Water to Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, in addition to the portfolios he is presently holding.”

This development comes on a day Delhi Chief Minister made a massive claim that he has received information from “reliable sources” that the central government is planning to get Manish Sisodia arrested in a “fake case” just like Satyendar Jain.

CM Kejriwal mentioned that these are the same reliable sources that alerted him a few months that Satyendar Jain will be arrested in a fake case.

Predicting Manish Sisodia’s arrest, Kejriwal went on to praise his work in the and even termed him as “the best education minister of independent India”.

In an oblique jibe then, Kejriwal said that instead of arresting his ministers and MLAs one at a time, the Centre should put all of them behind bars together and carry out as many raids and investigations as it wishes to.

“I request PM Modi to put all the ministers and MLAs from AAP behind the bars and ask all the central agencies to do all investigations at a go. Do as many raids as you want. You arrest one minister at a time, it obstructs public works,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal has been taking potshots at the central government since the arrest of his minister Satyendar Jain, a move that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has said is driven by political reasons.

A day after Jain’s arrest, Kejriwal refuted charges of money laundering against the minister and said, “we do not tolerate any corruption and will never do”, adding that the case against Jain has no truth and is driven by political reasons.

On Wednesday, Kejriwal went on to say that Jain, who is currently in ED custody till June 9, deserves “Padma Vibhushan” for the work done by him.

Calling the Delhi health minister a “patriot”, CM Kejriwal said country should be proud of him, he gave Mohalla clinic to Delhi that people from across world have come to see it.

“He should be given Padma Vibhushan. Let everyone enquire into him, CBI has already cleared him, ED will as well,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal added.

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