Senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Delhi Assembly, Atishi, lambasted the Modi government and BJP on Tuesday, declaring the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj’s residence a desperate attempt to divert public attention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “fake degree” controversy.
The Delhi Assembly LoP questioned why University of Delhi (DU), instead of proudly showcasing Modi as an alumnus, rushed to the High Court to block disclosure of his degree under RTI, and dismissed the ED case as “entirely fabricated,” pointing out that Saurabh Bharadwaj was not even a minister during the period in question.
At a press conference on Tuesday, senior AAP leader and Delhi Assembly (LoP) Atishi stated, asking: “Since yesterday, across the country, there has been a discussion on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree. An RTI activist obtained an order from the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing University of Delhi to show PM Modi’s degree. But instead of doing so, the University chose to challenge the CIC’s order in the High Court,” Atishi said.
The Delhi Assembly LoP questioned why University of Delhi was shying away from publicly displaying the Prime Minister’s academic record. “What kind of university is this that does not take pride in the fact that the country’s Prime Minister studied there? The BJP itself says PM Modi is the world’s most successful leader, yet his own university is not proud to claim him. I believe there is no university in the world that would not be proud to say its former student is the Prime Minister of the country,” Atishi remarked.
Citing examples, Atishi said, “Rekha Gupta, the current Chief Minister of Delhi, was honoured by University of Delhi when she took office. When I became Chief Minister, St. Stephen’s College, where I studied, invited me and felicitated me. Oxford University, my alma mater, published the newsletter that one of their alumni had become Chief Minister of Delhi. But University of Delhi wants to hide that PM Modi was their student. The whole country was talking about this, and to divert attention, the fake ED raid at Saurabh Bharadwaj’s home was ordered.”
Atishi stressed that the case cited by the ED has no merit. “This raid is completely fake because at the time when the hospital construction decisions were taken, Saurabh Bharadwaj was not even a minister. He became a minister two years later. How ridiculous is it that someone is raided for decisions taken before their tenure began? This is like raiding PM Modi’s house over the Colgate scam or the 2G scam. Or raiding Rekha Gupta for scams like Commonwealth Games or CNG fitness, which predates the Congress era,” she said.
Calling the raid nothing but a conspiracy to intimidate AAP, Atishi declared: “This is clearly a fake raid, a way to divert attention from PM Modi’s fake-degree controversy, and a way to threaten the AAP. But I want to tell PM Narendra Modi and the BJP—AAP has never committed corruption worth even a single rupee, nor will it ever.”
“We are a party of uncompromising honesty. Raid us as much as you want, you will never find evidence of corruption against any of our leaders. We are not scared of your raids or your threats,” affirmed the senior AAP leader.
Atishi reminded the example of Satyendar Jain case. “The entire country saw how raids were conducted at his home too, and he was arrested in a false case. After keeping him in jail for years, both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED were forced to file closure reports saying they did not have evidence worth even a penny. Every conspiracy of the BJP, every attempt by ED, has failed so far and will continue to fail.”
Taking to X, Atishi reiterated: “Why was Saurabh Bharadwaj’s house raided today? Because the entire nation is questioning whether PM Modi’s degree is fake. The raid was conducted only to divert attention from this debate. The case itself is false, as Saurabh Bharadwaj was not even a minister at the time it is linked to. Even Satyendar Jain was kept in jail for three years, and eventually CBI and ED were forced to submit closure reports. It is clear that every case against AAP leaders is fabricated and politically motivated.”
