Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has opted not to attend the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons, declaring the notice as unlawful. In response, Kejriwal has submitted a written reply to the ED, expressing his readiness to cooperate while raising concerns about the purported motives behind the notice.
An AAP official stated, “Ready to cooperate in ED investigation but the agency’s notice is illegal. Their intention is to arrest Arvind Kejriwal. They want to stop him from the election campaign.”
The ED had summoned Kejriwal for questioning on January 3 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy. This marks Kejriwal’s third refusal to appear before the federal agency, with previous summonses issued on November 2 and December 21.
Shehzad Poonawalla, BJP national spokesperson, remarked that Kejriwal’s decision to skip the ED summons indicates an attempt to conceal information. He suggested that the absence of bail for Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, coupled with established money trails by the courts, challenges the victim card played by Kejriwal.
AAP’s chief national spokesperson, Priyanka Kakkar, conveyed during a press conference that the party would adhere to legal procedures in response to the ED’s summons. In February 2023, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi’s excise policy, subsequently scrapped due to allegations of foul play. The ED has sought court permission to investigate AAP as a beneficiary of the “proceeds of crime,” leading to the arrest of at least 14 individuals by the agency.
