Vadodara, June 1: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashok Ojha has firmly rejected the Gujarat Police’s allegations that he orchestrated a fake Intelligence Bureau (IB) call involving a party worker. Ojha claims he is being wrongfully implicated in this case. He stated that the police are questioning him about the internal workings and financial transactions of the party.
Ojha’s statement adds a new twist to the controversy that began on May 28, when former Delhi MLA and party leader Durgesh Pathak accused the Gujarat Police’s IB wing of intimidating AAP workers on social media platform X.
Following these claims, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal further fueled the allegations. After the Anand Cyber Crime Police traced the phone number mentioned in the accusations, it was linked to a resident of Anand. Subsequently, the police announced the arrest of Ojha and Nitin Dobariya, the president of AAP’s Vadodara unit.
According to police, the investigation revealed that party worker Keshav Chauhan received a call from an individual falsely claiming to be speaking from the “Karelibaug IB office.” Investigators allege that this call was part of a conspiracy stemming from internal rivalries within the party, as Ojha viewed Chauhan as a political competitor after assigning him organizational responsibilities in Vadodara. The intent of the call was reportedly to intimidate Chauhan and force him to leave the city.
The arrests sparked a political dispute, with Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi accusing Kejriwal of spreading false claims. Sanghvi stated that the phone number provided by AAP belonged to “your own man” and questioned why Kejriwal presented the caller as an information and communication officer.
Responding to the allegations for the first time after the arrests, Ojha described the police statement as fabricated. He asserted that he never instructed anyone to impersonate an information and communication officer.
“I want to clarify that the call made was to inquire with the IB about their requirements. Our officer Keshav Chauhan was also on the conference call. I did not make this call for any other purpose,” Ojha said.
Ojha further alleged that after being taken by the police, a woman who identified herself as a police inspector interrogated him for nearly two hours. He claimed the questioning was not focused on the alleged call but rather on the party’s organizational structure and funding sources.
He also mentioned that questions were raised regarding the party’s finances. Ojha stated, “The woman asked me where our funds come from in Gujarat and Vadodara, and how the expenses for Kejriwal’s stay from May 24 to 26 were covered.”
Addressing Sanghvi directly, Ojha accused the state government of politicizing the matter. “I want to ask Harsh Sanghvi directly, do you intend to do politics by detaining, intimidating, and filing false cases against individuals?” he questioned.
Ojha also raised concerns about the identity of the officer who allegedly interrogated him. Rejecting the police’s claim that the incident was a result of internal rivalry within the party, he stated, “There is no conspiracy from my side. I am a loyal member of the Aam Aadmi Party and will always remain so.”
Currently, a case has been registered at the Anand Cyber Crime Police Station, and the investigation is ongoing.
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