Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said the liquor scam allegations are a political conspiracy to tarnish the image of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Dismissing the allegations of liquor scam while addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the accusations were entirely false, and the party has always maintained its integrity.

Citing an interview of former J&K governor Satyapal Malik during a press conference, Kejriwal said, “Satyapal Malik had said in that interview the BJP would arrest CM Arvind Kejriwal before the next election.” He dared the BJP to do so, saying he is just a small figure compared to the larger issues of the nation at hand.

“BJP is saying ‘Kejriwal is next on the list’, this means BJP is controlling ED-CBI,” the Delhi chief minister said.

He said the Aam Aadmi Party is known for its commitment to honesty, and its leadership has earned the trust of the entire country.

“The conspiracy to malign the party’s image and betray the people’s trust was carried out under the guise of the ‘Delhi Liquor Scam’,” Kejriwal said.

However, he reiterated that there was no such scandal in Delhi, and the party remained steadfast in its honesty and transparency. “The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) fabricated the entire liquor scam plot and then instructed the ED-CBI to make up false evidence against the AAP,” he said.

The Delhi chief minister further alleged that the BJP is controlling the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to implicate him and his party in false cases.

He urged the judiciary to take appropriate action against those using the ED-CBI for their political interests. He also cited the recent submission by the ED-CBI in court that the allegations of the AAP spending Rs 100 rupees in cash in the Goa elections were false. Instead, they had spent only Rs 19 lakh, which is much less than the amount alleged by the BJP.

Kejriwal said the BJP had alleged in the so-called Delhi liquor scam that the South Lobby paid a bribe of Rs 100 crore to the people of the Aam Aadmi Party, but it has failed to prove it. The CBI-ED has also accepted in the court that out of 100 crores, they do not have any evidence of this scam. The CBI-ED had alleged that a person named Rajesh Joshi translocated Rs 30 crore from the South Lobby and handed over Rs 30 crore to the AAP leadership in Delhi. The only “proof” they have is that someone had stated to them that Rajesh Joshi gave Rs 30 crore to AAP.

He said in the 6th May order of Rouse Avenue Court, it is written that there was not a single evidence against Rajesh Joshi to prove that he came to Delhi with a single paise from the South Lobby. “When Rajesh Joshi did not bring a single penny, the South Lobby did not give any money and the leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party did not get the money, then the whole case should be closed. Bribe was neither taken nor given, so what remains of the case?,” the CM added. Notably, Rajesh Joshi has got bail on the basis that there is no corroborative evidence against him.