Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Summoned By ED On January 3 For 3rd Time.
New Delhi: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by ED on January 3 for the third time in a row. It must be noted that Kejriwal has been summoned for the third time in the row in the liquor case. Responding to the fresh summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha said on Thursday, “The entire case is fake.”
He further added, “The entire conspiracy has been hatched just to trap the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal, as per a report covered by news agency ANI.
Earlier, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was summoned on December 21 but he did not attend the summon and also questioned the timing of the summons, keeping the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in notice.
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“Entire Case Is fake….”says Raghav Chadha after ED summons Arvind Kejriwal
“The entire case is fake; there is not a shred of evidence; neither the agencies have any evidence nor is there any foul play in this matter. But the entire conspiracy has been hatched just to trap the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal,” Chadha told news agency ANI.
Kejriwal was summoned by the ED in relation to the Delhi excise policy case on December 21. However, he did not attend the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate, the investigating agency
Further, the AAP MP questioned the timing of the summons, saying, “The summons was sent when CM Arvind Kejriwal had announced a week ago that he would go for Vipassana for 10 days. It was sent because their purpose is not to investigate but to implicate the CM and finish the Aam Aadmi Party.”
Further, Chhadaha claimed that the summons in question were not being issued by the concerned agency but rather by the BJP. He alleged that the BJP was responsible for creating and sending these summonses.
“We feel that this summons is not being sent by the agency; this summons is being sent by the BJP. These summons are made and sent by the BJP itself; the whole issue is not legal; it is political; it is inspired by politics,” the AAP minister told in the report.
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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Reaction
Responding to the fresh summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday that the summons sent to him are just to create sensational news in the final months of the parliamentary elections in 2024.
Questioning the timing of the summons, Kejriwal said, “The timing of your summons leaves much to desire and strengthens my belief that the summons being sent to me are not based upon any objective or rational yardstick but purely as propaganda as well as to create sensational news in the final few months of much-awaited parliamentary elections in the country.”
Kejriwal further questioned ED for not responding to his earlier questions. “You have chosen not to inform me nor provide me details of the case file corresponding to file number mentioned in your summons, the reasons for summoning me, or any details thereof. Your summons appears to be a fishing and roving inquiry,” said Kejriwal in a statement.
The Delhi CM also expressed his unawareness of being summoned under what capacity. He said it’s not clear that “I am being called a witness, a suspect, Delhi’s CM or a convenor of the Aam Adami Party.
Fellow AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Centre over the summons issued to the CM, saying that the BJP is “afraid” of AAP due to the latter’s increasing popularity across the nation.
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“For the last two years, the ED and the CBI have been investigating the ‘so-called’ liquor scam. The centre got hundreds of raids conducted and employed thousands of officers in the case. But yet, they haven’t been able to recover a single penny from the AAP leaders,” Atishi told news ANI.
“Why are summonses being sent to CM Kejriwal? This is because the BJP is afraid of the party’s increasing popularity across the country. The AAP is working in Punjab and Delhi. It has provided good governance in these states and the BJP has not been able to do so,” she added.
Kejriwal was earlier summoned by the CBI in April of this year in connection with the same case. However, the CM was not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI on August 17 last year.
In February 2023, Kejriwal’s deputy, Manish Sisodia, was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of Delhi’s new excise policy. The policy was withdrawn amid allegations of foul play by the opposition.
(With inputs from agencies)
