Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has responded to the recent summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, dismissing it as ‘politically motivated’ and ‘illegal,’ similar to previous ones. In a statement on Thursday, Kejriwal expressed readiness to comply with legal summons while asserting the political nature of the ED’s actions.
The ED had issued fresh summons to CM Kejriwal on December 18, requesting his appearance for questioning on December 21 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. Kejriwal, who had earlier skipped a summons on November 2, reiterated his stance that the ED’s summons lacked clarity, deeming it “vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law.”
In response to the latest development, fellow AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of using central probe agencies to intimidate and silence opposition leaders. Atishi emphasized that the AAP would not succumb to such threats from the ED and the CBI.
“It is clear the BJP is scared of the Aam Aadmi Party and the model of governance of our leader Arvind Kejriwal, which is why the leaders of our party are being thrown in jail one by one. The BJP is using agencies at their disposal to scare us,” Atishi told ANI.
Arvind Kejriwal was initially summoned by the CBI in April of this year regarding the same case. Although the CM was not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI on August 17, last year, his Deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested in February 2023 for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi’s new excise policy. The policy was withdrawn amid allegations of foul play by the Opposition. Kejriwal’s consistent stand against what he deems as politically motivated legal actions reflects the ongoing tensions between the AAP and the BJP-led Centre.
