Key Takeaways
- Arvind Kejriwal skips ED summons in Delhi Excise Policy case for third time.
- AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accuses BJP of targeting opposition leaders with corruption charges.
- Manish Sisodia has been in jail for almost one year, but ED has not yet gathered any evidence against him.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will skip the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons in the Delhi Excise Policy case for the third time on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Delhi Health Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the summons by ED are illegal and politically motivated. Bharadwaj also questioned the timing of the notice.
He said, “At a time when the Lok Sabha elections are near, the BJP is using ED to stop Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning and put him in jail.’
He said despite the party seeking clarification from the ED on what capacity Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was being called, Bharadwaj added, “The Delhi Chief Minister is neither an accused nor a witness.”
The AAP leader said, “For almost one year, Manish Sisodia has been in jail, and the ED has not yet gathered any evidence against him. And now they want to arrest Arvind Kejriwal.”
He accused the BJP of targeting the opposition by using its agencies and not taking action against its leaders facing corruption charges.
Bharadwaj said that the BJP’s campaign against corruption targeted leaders like Suvendu Adhikari, Pema Khandu, Ajit Pawar, Narayan Rane, and Praful Patel, but all cases were dropped when they became a part of the BJP.
Importantly, Kejriwal had refused to appear before the ED on November 2 and December 21 last year.
