Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi minister Atishi on Tuesday accused the BJP-led central government of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to conduct raids on party leaders in an attempt to "scare and silence" the party.
The ED conducted searches at the premises of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary Bibhav Kumar and AAP Rajya Sabha MP ND Gupta, who serves as the party’s treasurer, as part of a money laundering investigation. Atishi revealed that raids commenced at 7 am and alleged that more AAP leaders would face similar actions throughout the day.
The minister also alleged that the statements of witnesses and accused related to the excise policy case were extracted by the probe agency by force and threat. She alleged the BJP-led Centre using ED to “scare and silence” AAP by conducting raids on its leaders.
Furthermore, Atishi accused the probe agency of coercing statements from witnesses and accused individuals involved in the excise policy case. Despite an extensive two-year investigation, Atishi emphasized that no evidence has been unearthed regarding the alleged excise policy scam.
ED is currently conducting raids at around 10 locations in the national capital. Official sources indicate that it is not immediately evident whether these searches are linked to an ongoing money laundering investigation or are related to a new case.