Aam Aadmi Party, on Thursday said that Arvind Kejriwal has replied to the Enforcement Directorate’s summons in the excise policy case, while the chief minister called the summon ‘illegal and invalid’. This is the fourth time that the Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, has been summoned under the liquor policy. For questioning, he was asked to appear before the central agency on Thursday, January 18.
“The BJP wants to stop Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. The Enforcement Directorate has said that Arvind Kejriwal is not an accused in the liquor policy case. Then why issue the summons and threaten him with arrest?” a statement by AAP mentions. Previously, Kejriwal had skipped the summons that asked him to appear before the ED on November 2 and December 21, 2023, and January 3, 2024.
The AAP further said, “When corrupt political leaders join the BJP, their cases are closed. We have not indulged in any corruption, and none of our leaders will join the BJP.”
“This is being done to stop him from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. ED has said that Kejriwal is not an accused; then why were the summons issued to him?” the party said.
In the liquor policy case, Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh are incarcerated due to allegations of corruption.
In this case, the ED’s charge sheets have used Kejriwal’s name multiple times. According to the agency, he was contacted by the accused about the creation of the now-cancelled Delhi Excise Policy 2021–2022.
In its charge sheet, the ED claimed that the AAP used “proceeds of crime” in the amount of about ₹45 crore in its Goa election campaign.
ED is expected to file a fresh supplementary charge sheet in this case. They might name AAP as a “beneficiary” of the alleged bribes that were generated.
Furthermore, the party has been accused of granting licences to liquor traders to the preferred dealers under the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021–22. The part is accused of taking bribes from the dealers for the license, which AAP has refuted.
With respect to the case, the excise policy had been scrapped by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena, who further recommended a CBI probe. Later, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
