India
Delhi liquorgate: BJP wants to arrest me using ED, CBI, says Arvind Kejriwal after skipping third summon | India News
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NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday claimed that “false summons” were being sent to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor scam case.
Crying foul, the AAP chief, accused the BJP of misusing central agencies like ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to get him arrested.
Kejriwal on Thursday held a press briefing shortly after he skipped the third summon issued to him by the ED in connection with the liquorgate.
“My biggest strength and asset is my honesty,” Kejriwal said, adding: “I have explained to ED why their summons are illegal. They have no answer.”
“I will cooperate if legally valid summons is sent,” he also said.
He also claimed that the BJP only wants to stop him from campaigning ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “There is no excise scam … BJP wants to stop me from campaigning for Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
Meanwhile, security was tightened outside the residence of Kejriwal after his party leaders claimed, citing unnamed inputs, that the ED could arrest him on Thursday.
Taking to the social media platform X, AAP leader and Delhi’s law and PWD minister, Atishi, said on Wednesday: “News coming in that ED is going to raid@ArvindKejriwal’s residence tomorrow morning. Arrest likely.”
Minutes after Atishi’s post, Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a post on X about speculations about Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED. “It is heard that tomorrow morning, ED is going to reach the house of Chief Minister Kejriwal and arrest him,” Bharadwaj said in his post.
Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED, expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation but declined to appear on the summoned date, calling the notice “illegal.” Kejriwal further questioned agency for not responding to his earlier replies when the summons was sent to him and he had raised certain queries on the nature of the agency’s investigation.
In his written reply to the ED the Delhi CM said “As a premier investigating agency the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice. Your obstinacy tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law.”
“In these circumstances i urge you to respond to my earlier response and clarify the position so as to enable me to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called” he added in his response.
The Delhi chief minister was first called by the central agency to appear on November 2, but he did not depose, alleging that the notice was “vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law.” He further alleged that the said summons appeared to be politically motivated and issued for extraneous considerations.
Meanwhile, the AAP also questioned the timing of the notice just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Crying foul, the AAP chief, accused the BJP of misusing central agencies like ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to get him arrested.
Kejriwal on Thursday held a press briefing shortly after he skipped the third summon issued to him by the ED in connection with the liquorgate.
“My biggest strength and asset is my honesty,” Kejriwal said, adding: “I have explained to ED why their summons are illegal. They have no answer.”
“I will cooperate if legally valid summons is sent,” he also said.
He also claimed that the BJP only wants to stop him from campaigning ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “There is no excise scam … BJP wants to stop me from campaigning for Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
Meanwhile, security was tightened outside the residence of Kejriwal after his party leaders claimed, citing unnamed inputs, that the ED could arrest him on Thursday.
Taking to the social media platform X, AAP leader and Delhi’s law and PWD minister, Atishi, said on Wednesday: “News coming in that ED is going to raid@ArvindKejriwal’s residence tomorrow morning. Arrest likely.”
Minutes after Atishi’s post, Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj shared a post on X about speculations about Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED. “It is heard that tomorrow morning, ED is going to reach the house of Chief Minister Kejriwal and arrest him,” Bharadwaj said in his post.
Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED, expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation but declined to appear on the summoned date, calling the notice “illegal.” Kejriwal further questioned agency for not responding to his earlier replies when the summons was sent to him and he had raised certain queries on the nature of the agency’s investigation.
In his written reply to the ED the Delhi CM said “As a premier investigating agency the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice. Your obstinacy tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law.”
“In these circumstances i urge you to respond to my earlier response and clarify the position so as to enable me to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called” he added in his response.
The Delhi chief minister was first called by the central agency to appear on November 2, but he did not depose, alleging that the notice was “vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law.” He further alleged that the said summons appeared to be politically motivated and issued for extraneous considerations.
Meanwhile, the AAP also questioned the timing of the notice just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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