'Madam prepping to hold the post like how Rabri Devi did in Bihar': Hardeep Singh Puri attacks Sunita Kejriwal

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took a jab at jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, suggesting that his time in office is running out.  Puri implied that Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, may be gearing up to assume the top position soon.

"Kejriwal's wife was not only a colleague in the revenue service. They have sidelined everyone. Now madam is likely preparing for the top post," the Housing and Urban Affairs Minister told reporters in Delhi today.

Puri likened the situation to that of Rabri Devi in Bihar, where Lalu Yadav's wife assumed the role of Chief Minister when he faced imprisonment in corruption cases. "The madam is perhaps preparing to hold the post like how Rabri Devi did in Bihar," he said.

"Kejriwal didn't answer summons nine times. Then the Enforcement Directorate officers went to his house. Let it be, Kejriwal's time is very limited," said Puri, who is also the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister.

Arvind Kejriwal's arrest relates to alleged money laundering linked to the former Delhi liquor policy, which has since been discarded. His detention under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was prolonged by four days recently.

Additionally, the Union Minister criticized the Congress party for opposing lawful tax demands, highlighting the necessity for everyone to file tax returns and noting the consistent growth in revenue.

The Congress party received a notice of Rs 1,700 crore from the Income Tax Department following the dismissal of their petition by the Delhi High Court. The notice, covering the assessment years 2017-18 to 2020-21, includes penalties and interest.

In response to the planned protest by the Opposition INDIA bloc on March 31, Union Minister Puri remarked that their relevance is diminishing, suggesting they should be talked about in the past tense.

Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has launched a campaign called "Kejriwal ko aashirwad" while her husband is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This is her third video announcement, where she shared a WhatsApp number for people to send messages to Kejriwal.

Before marrying Kejriwal, Sunita was an officer in the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) for 22 years, serving in the Income Tax department. She and Arvind Kejriwal met during a training program in Bhopal. Sunita belongs to the 1994 batch, while her husband belongs to the 1995 batch.