On Wednesday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leveled accusations against the BJP-led Central government, alleging a conspiracy to apprehend Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, purportedly as a tactic to prevent him from participating in the Lok Sabha elections campaign. Kejriwal, facing the third summons by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, opted not to appear, instead sending a written response asserting the illegality of the notice.
AAP leader and Delhi cabinet minister Atishi called the summons a political vendetta and said the ED has not responded to Kejriwal’s repeated written requests seeking clarity on why he was being called for questioning.
Arvind Kejriwal has repeatedly asked the ED to tell in what capacity is he being summoned. He has also asked the ED to send all the concerned inquiries in the form of a questionnaire which will be answered duly, Atishi said, adding that the AAP is not afraid of such summons.
ED and the CBI have become a political tool for the Bharatiya Janata Party to attack the opposition leaders, she said. Corroborating her views, Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the timing of the ED summons. The ED has still not answered in what capacity is he (Kejriwal) being summoned as a witness or an accused, Bharadwaj said while addressing a press conference here.
The entire excise policy case is political and an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP-led Centre has hatched a conspiracy to get him arrested, he added. Bharadwaj said former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who has been in jail for nearly a year, will be proven innocent sooner or later.