Arrest of Arvind Kejriwal's kin aimed at maligning CM's image: AAP

New Delhi: The AAP on Thursday hit out at the Anti-Corruption Branch for arresting Vinay Bansal, nephew of Arvind Kejriwal, saying the action was aimed at maligning the chief minister's image and harassing his relatives. Bansal, who is a partner in a firm linked to alleged financial irregularities in building a drainage system in north-west Delhi, was arrested early this morning. "This is nothing but an attempt to malign the chief minister's image and harass his relatives," AAP's Delhi unit chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said.

He also rejected allegations of scam in the contract allotted to Bansal's company. Three FIRs, including one against a company run by Surendra Bansal, father of Vinay Bansal, were registered by the ACB in this case on May 9 last year. Surendra Bansal, who is married to the sister of Kejriwal's wife, died of heart attack last year. 

In a complaint, Rahul Sharma, founder of Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), had alleged that Kejriwal and PWD minister Satyendra Jain misused their office for grant of contracts to Bansal. It was also alleged that the bills sent to the Public Works Department (PWD) for unfinished works were "false and fabricated".

Bharadwaj said the contract was given to Bansal's company in January 2015 while Kejriwal came to power a month later. "Contractors are asked to submit bills of material used to ensure that quality of material like steel, cement, bricks. The quality of all this material has been inspected and certified by IIT Roorkee and SriRam Labs. These two are most reputed labs in India. Where is the scam?" Bharadwaj tweeted.