The big political parties have been protecting Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prashant Bhushan said here on Saturday.

The Supreme Court issued a non-bailable warrant against Mr. Roy, for failing to refund Rs 20,000 crore to the investors.

“People with political affiliations including [BJP leader] Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Ram Jethmalani [who was expelled from the BJP last year] are his lawyers. Senior Congress leaders have also been doing his advocacy. He also has close ties with [Samajwadi Party supremo] Mulayam Singh,” Mr. Bhushan said while addressing journalists here.

Mr. Bhushan was here to attend a convention of the AAP members ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. “If the BJP comes to power the face will change but the machinery that runs the government will be the same big corporate houses – the crony capitalists like Reliance and Tata,” he said.

Only the AAP was raising its voice against Reliance and the increase in gas price, all other parties were supporting Reliance, Mr. Bhushan said.

Mr. Bhushan said the issues like corruption were the same in all the States across the country.

“On the one hand there is the Congress that has indulged in limitless corruption. On the other hand is the BJP and [its prime ministerial candidate] Narendra Modi, who are claiming that they will get an honest government,” he said.

To give impetus to corruption Mr. Modi did not allow the formation of the Lokayukta for 10 years in Gujarat. “Mr. Modi didn’t allow a Lokayukta to be appointed in Gujarat for 10 years. Now, he has completely destroyed the Lokayukta there. He has passed an amendment by which the Lokayukta has been made totally powerless in Gujarat and the Lokayukta has to seek the State government’s permission for everything.”

On ‘Modi wave,’ Mr. Bhushan said one had to spend crores of rupees, hire people, organise massive rallies, and get fake opinion polls done “to create the wave.”

On Anna Hazare’s support to the Trinamool Congress, Mr Bhushan said, “Today Anna is with Mamata Banerjee’s party but he didn’t join us because he said the political parties are unconstitutional.”