Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the excise policy case on Thursday and instead asked the probe agency to withdraw the “politically motivated” summons against him.

Kejriwal, meanwhile, headed to Singrauli in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, where he took part in a roadshow along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

It is likely that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will issue fresh summons to the AAP leader, sources said.

In his official response to the ED summons, the chief minister expressed his concern regarding lack of clarity about the capacity in which he was being summoned, whether as a witness or a suspect, in the case.

“I am in receipt of your summons dated 30.10.2023… I have been directed to appear before your good-self on 02.11.2023 at 11:30 am. The said summons is not clear as to the capacity in which I am being summoned, that is, as a witness or a suspect in the above-mentioned case,” he said.

Kejriwal also expressed his concern about the nature of the summons. “The said summons does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry.

“The said summons appear to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations. Simultaneous to the summons, in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, BJP leaders started making statements that soon I would be summoned and arrested. By the evening of that day, I received your summons,” he alleged.

“It is thus apparent that the said summons was leaked to select BJP leaders to malign my image and reputation and has been issued at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre. Illustratively, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari openly stated in the afternoon of 30.10.2023 that I will be arrested and the same has been widely reported in the media,” he said in his letter to ED.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo also mentioned the upcoming elections in several states and the need for his political campaigning and governance commitments.

He also requested the ED to recall the “vague and motivated” summons, which he claimed was “unsustainable in law”.

It may be mentioned that the AAP has been accusing the Centre of misusing the probe agencies to target opposition leaders.

Defending his colleague, AAP MLA and Cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the BJP wants to crush the Delhi government with such theatrics.

“This is being seen not only by India but the entire world that the Centre is drunk in power and it is so arrogant that it wants to crush every small political party. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a growing national outfit, and the BJP government is trying everything to crush it,” he said.

The BJP, however, said the law is taking its own course and the chief minister must comply with it.

“The law is doing its work. The ED has summoned him under the law. Two days ago, the Supreme Court observation regarding Manish Sisodia’s bail said there is a money trail of Rs 338 crore. Arvind Kejriwal has to answer this because it is not possible that there is a money trail and he is not aware of it…

“He also has to answer why the excise was increased to 12 per cent from 5 per cent… He is playing the victim card that this is vendetta politics,” BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana said.

Kejriwal was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April this year in connection with the case. But he was not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the agency on August 17 last year.

In February this year, Arvind Kejriwal’s deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi’s new excise policy. The policy was withdrawn amid allegations of foul play by the opposition.

The Supreme Court on October 30 dismissed the bail plea of Sisodia in connection with cases related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case. The court directed to complete the trial in the case in six to eight months.