“ED Summons, Politically Motivated”: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responded on Thursday to the latest summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, characterizing it as ‘politically motivated’ and ‘illegal,’ similar to the previous ones.

“I am ready to accept every legal summons. This summons of ED is also illegal like the previous ones. ED’s summons are politically motivated. They should be withdrawn. I lived my life with honesty and transparency. I have nothing to hide,” stated Kejriwal.

On December 18, the ED issued fresh summons to CM Kejriwal, requesting his appearance before the central agency for questioning on December 21 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

Delhi Minister Atishi, a fellow AAP leader, launched a strong critique of the BJP-led Centre over the summons issued to the CM, asserting that the saffron party employs central probe agencies to intimidate and silence Opposition leaders. She emphasized that the AAP would not yield to threats from the ED and the CBI.

In her rebuke of the BJP-led Centre, Atishi claimed that the fear of Kejriwal’s governance model is evident, leading to the targeting of AAP leaders by central agencies and imprisonment.

“It is clear the BJP are scared of the Aam Aadmi Party and the model of governance of our leader Arvind Kejriwal, which is why the leaders of our party are being thrown in jail one by one. The BJP are using agencies at their disposal to scare us,” stated Atishi.

The Delhi CM had initially been summoned by the federal agency to appear for questioning on November 2, but he refrained, asserting the summons was “vague, motivated and unsustainable in law.”

“The said summons is not clear as to the capacity in which I am being summoned i.e. as a witness or a suspect in the above-mentioned case. Please recall the said summons, which is to say the least is vague and motivated and I am advised, unsustainable in law,” expressed Kejriwal in his letter to Jogendar, assistant director, ED, after the initial summons.

Kejriwal had been summoned by the CBI in April this year regarding the same case. However, he was not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI on August 17, last year. In February 2023, 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for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi’s new excise policy, which was withdrawn amid allegations of foul play by the Opposition.