New Delhi : After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not appear on the third summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case, Aam Aadmi Party leaders made speculations of raid and arrest on him by tweeting one after the other. AAP leaders posted on
Delhi government minister and AAP leader Atishi wrote in a post on X late Wednesday night, ‘The news is coming that ED is going to raid Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in the morning. There is also a possibility of his arrest.
Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj also wrote that it is being heard that ED is going to reach Chief Minister Kejriwal’s house tomorrow morning and arrest him.
At the same time, Rajya Sabha MP and AAP leader Sandeep Pathak also posted and wrote that ‘Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to be raided by ED tomorrow morning.’
In fact, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not appear on Wednesday even on the third summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case and he sent a written reply calling the notice illegal. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that sending repeated notices to Kejriwal was part of a conspiracy to arrest him to stop him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that Kejriwal does not want the truth to come out. AAP said Kejriwal was ready to cooperate with the investigating agency, but claimed that the summons had been sent with the intention of arresting him.
The party alleged, “Why has the notice been sent just before the elections? The notice is an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning.
AAP leader and Delhi cabinet minister Atishi termed the summons as “political vendetta” and said the ED has not responded to Kejriwal’s repeated written requests seeking clarification on whether he has been summoned for questioning. Why are you being called?
Atishi said, “Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly asked the ED to tell in what capacity he is being called for questioning, be it a witness or an accused. He has also asked the ED to send all the relevant questions in the form of a questionnaire which will be duly answered. He said AAP is not afraid of “such summons”. “ED and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) have become political tools for the BJP to attack opposition leaders,” he said.
Agreeing with Atishi’s views, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj raised questions on the timing of the ED summons. He said, “ED has not yet answered in what capacity he (Kejriwal) is being called as a witness or an accused. The entire issue of excise policy is political and it is an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP-led central government has conspired to get him arrested. Bhardwaj said that former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has been in jail for almost a year, will sooner or later be proven innocent.
He also claimed that only opposition leaders face the threat of arrest and questioning by the ED and CBI while they do not face any action in cases against BJP leaders.
AAP’s Delhi state convenor Gopal Rai said he was ready to cooperate if the ED legally wanted his response, but he was “not bound” to respond to the BJP’s summons.
Delhi Environment Minister Rai said, “ED is BJP and BJP is ED.” Arvind Kejriwal (in his written reply) asked some questions to the ED but they have not replied yet. BJP leaders are replying on behalf of ED. Why? It seems that BJP leaders have become spokespersons of ED. This is BJP’s summon and we are not bound to answer them.
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Tags: Arvind kejriwal, Enforcement directorate
FIRST PUBLISHED : January 4, 2024, 12:19 PM IST
