Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped the Enforcement Directorate’s summons for the third time on Wednesday questioning the probe agency why it did not respond to his previous replies to the summons while maintaining the same format.
The chief minister, in a five-page missive to the ED, gave reference to his previous letter to the agency on December 20, where he had asked in what capacity he was summoned in the case.
He further asked the Central agency why was it maintaining secrecy about his response, and what was the urgency behind calling him in person without assigning any reason.
Stating that the summons does not mention any document or information required from him, the AAP chief urged the ED once again to “kindly” respond to his previous replies to clarify its position enabling him to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, and the scope of the related investigation for which he is being called. He said he would happily respond to a questionnaire on the information and documents he could share with the agency.
Meanwhile, the AAP has again blamed the Centre for the ED summons alleging that all this is part of a conspiracy against the party and its leaders to spoil their image ahead of the upcoming elections.
Kejriwal did not appear before the agency in compliance with the summons issued to him for the third time in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The third summons was sent to Kejriwal on December 22, when he was in a Vipassana meditation camp.
Earlier, before leaving for the 10-day mediation, he had skipped the summons on December 21 which was issued to him on December 18.
The ED had initially summoned Kejriwal for questioning in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam on November 2, which the Delhi CM skipped, saying that the summons was unsustainable in law. He had said it was also not clear whether he was being summoned as an accused or as a representative of a political party.
“I am also advised that a political party is not covered within the purview of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at all,” he added.
Kejriwal was not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI on August 17, last year. In February 2023, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi’s new excise.
The AAP said the ED’s intention was to arrest the Delhi CM on the directions of the ruling BJP.
Meanwhile, coming down heavily on Kejriwal for not complying with the ED summons for the third time, the BJP questioned what was behind the AAP leader’s consistent refrain from joining the probe if he is innocent.
The way he skipped the ED it seems there is something he wants to hide, concluded the saffron party.