“He is making excuses…”: BJP questions Kejriwal’s stand on appearing virtually before ED

New Delhi [India], March 4 (ANI): After Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal agreed to appear virtually before the ED on any date after March 12, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said that the AAP leader forgot the ‘first resignation then investigation’ slogan in Delhi’s liquor policy scam case.

BJP spokesperson also said that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is not cooperating with ED’s investigation into an alleged liquor policy scam because the Delhi CM is under the tutorage of RJD leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav.

“It is absurd that a person who is facing a serious allegation of being the mastermind of liquor scam is now going to determine how he will appear when he will appear and things which are unheard in law…When Arvind Kejriwal was under the tutorage of Anna Hazare, he used to say ‘first resignation then investigation’, today forget resignation, no cooperation in investigation because he is under the tutorage of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Since the summons have been issued he is making excuses… He said that it’s a vendetta politics, if this is so, why hasn’t the court quashed or stayed the summons, why hasn’t the court given relief to Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Vijay Nair… Congress is saying that Arvind Kejriwal is involved in the scam and he must answer. Kejriwal is doing ABCD. A for Avoid Summon, B for Bhaag Jao from Summon, C for Cover up for Summon and D for Divert from Summon…” said BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

BJP spokeperson Jaiveer Shergill also hit out at Delhi’s CM Kejriwal said that this is India where the law of the land prevails and law will break “Anarchist Arrogant Aadmi’s” arrogance.

“Kejriwal says he will appear before ED only via video after 12th March! Kejriwal should remember that neither this is Iraq nor he is Saddam Hussain where law runs per his mood! This is India where law of land prevails! Law will break “Anarchist Arrogant Aadmi’s” arrogance!” said BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill posted on X.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has written a reply to the Directorate of Enforcement stating the ED’s summon as “illegal”, however, he has agreed to appear before the agency virtually on any date after March 12.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said “The ED summons is illegal but still he is ready to answer. Arvind Kejriwal has asked for a date after March 12 from ED. After that, Arvind Kejriwal will attend the hearing via video conferencing.”

Earlier on February 27, The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) issued an eighth summons to Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case, asking him to join the investigation on March 4.

The fresh summons to the Delhi Chief Minister followed the seventh summons which he had skipped on February 26.

Kejriwal has so far skipped seven previous summons issued by the ED on February 26, February 19, February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22, calling them “illegal and politically motivated”.

The ED wants to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.

While skipping the seventh summons issued by the ED, AAP, in a statement, termed it “illegal”, saying that the ED should stop sending summonses and wait for the court’s decision as the probe agency has already approached the court on the matter.

A day after Kejriwal skipped the fifth summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate, the agency on February 3 approached a Delhi court against him for “non-compliance with the summons”.

The case is based on a First Information Report (FIR) alleging multiple irregularities in the formation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The policy was withdrawn after allegations of corruption.

In its sixth charge sheet filed in the case on December 2, 2023, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra, the ED has claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore generated via the policy for part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.

The excise policy was aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business and replace a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders. It promised swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi.

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena’s move to order a probe into alleged irregularities in the regime prompted the scrapping of the policy. The AAP has accused Saxena’s predecessor, Anil Baijal, of sabotaging the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.

Two senior AAP leaders — Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh — are already under judicial custody in the case. Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning and on October 5, the ED arrested Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.