Kejriwal hails Satya Pal Malik's 'courage' after CBI summons
What's the story
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday applauded former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik for his "great courage" in "times of fear" and said the entire country supported him, reported PTI. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's remarks came after Malik was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an alleged insurance scam case in the union territory.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The CBI reportedly summoned Malik as a witness in an alleged insurance scam in Jammu and Kashmir. Malik had leveled corruption charges in awarding two contracts— a medical insurance scheme for government employees, and Rs. 2,200 crore worth of civil work for the Kiru hydroelectric power project. He even claimed that a Rs. 300-crore bribe was offered for clearing files during his stint.
Kejriwal's tweet
'Proud of you': Kejriwal to Malik
In a tweet, Kejriwal said, "The entire country is with you. You have shown great courage in these times of fear, sir. He is a coward, hiding behind CBI." "He is illiterate, corrupt, and a traitor. He cannot compete with you. You go ahead, sir. Proud of you," he added, without taking any names. However, Kejriwal was responding to a fake account of Malik.
Twitter Post
Check out the Twitter post by Kejriwal
पूरा देश आपके साथ है। ख़ौफ़ के इस दौर में आपने बहुत साहस दिखाया है, सर। वो कायर है, CBI के पीछे छिपा है। जब जब इस महान देश पर संकट आया, आप जैसे लोगों ने अपने साहस से उसका मुक़ाबला किया। वो अनपढ़ है, भ्रष्ट है, ग़द्दार है। वो आपका मुक़ाबला नहीं कर सकता। आप आगे बढ़ो सर। Proud of u https://t.co/FBCZVTERan
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 21, 2023
Fake account
Malik's fake account posted information about CBI summons
Notably, several reports this week suggested that Malik's original Twitter handle is "@SatyapalMalik6" and not "@Satyapalmalik_." The AAP supremo was responding to the latter, which has now been deleted by the platform. Reportedly, the fake account, pretending to be Malik, said the CBI had called him as it needed some "information" and "clarifications" regarding the alleged insurance scam case.
More information
Malik recently leveled severe allegations against PM Modi
The agency's move comes barely a week after Malik, in an interview with The Wire, accused PM Narendra Modi of silencing him about the Home Affairs Ministry's failures that led to the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. Malik, once a savior for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also claimed that Modi had "no real problem with corruption."