 for the fifth time, has once again chosen to forgo the questioning in the Delhi liquor policy case. The ED had requested his appearance at its Delhi headquarters today.){kind=link}
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the fifth time, has once again chosen to forgo the questioning in the Delhi liquor policy case. The ED had requested his appearance at its Delhi headquarters today.
This decision follows Kejriwal’s earlier refusal to participate in the January 19 questioning, asserting that the ED’s summons were unlawful and solely intended to facilitate his arrest.
Prior to this, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief had declined to appear before the ED on three separate occasions: November 2, December 21, and January 3.
The AAP has strongly criticized the ED’s actions, labeling them as “politically motivated” and “unlawful.” In a statement, the party accused Prime Minister Modi of attempting to arrest Arvind Kejriwal and overthrow the Delhi government, vowing not to allow such an occurrence.
While Kejriwal had been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April regarding the case, he had not been formally accused by the agency.
With three of its leaders—Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain—currently in custody, the AAP has been preparing for potential scenarios, expressing the desire for Kejriwal to continue as Chief Minister even if confined to jail.
The CBI alleges that liquor companies played a role in shaping the excise policy, aiming for a 12 percent profit. A liquor lobby, referred to as the “South Group,” purportedly paid kickbacks, some of which were funneled to public servants. The ED has accused money laundering in connection with these kickbacks.
The BJP contends that the AAP used the proceeds of the alleged scam to finance a large-scale campaign in Gujarat, where it secured 12.91 percent of the votes, establishing itself as a national party.