Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should wait for a court order instead of issuing summons repeatedly, this after he skipped the seventh summons issued to him by the probe agency in the Delhi excise policy case.
Read here: Kejriwal skips 7th ED summons; AAP says won’t be pressured to leave INDIA bloc
The Aam Aadmi Party convenor claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants AAP to break the ties with the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections by threatening the officers of possible probe agency action.
"They want us to break the alliance (INDIA). When ED itself has approached the court, then why can't they wait for the court's decision? The matter is in court and they sending summons repeatedly. Informally, we have got messages to break the alliance. We will not leave the INDIA alliance," news agency ANI quoted Kejriwal as saying.
Earlier, several AAP leaders including Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj levelled allegations against the BJP claiming that several AAP leaders received messages and threats over Kejriwal's arrest and possible action by probe agencies like CBI and ED if the party enters into an alliance with Congress or the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, several AAP leaders including Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj levelled allegations against the BJP claiming that several AAP leaders received messages and threats over Kejriwal's arrest and possible action by probe agencies like CBI and ED if the party enters into an alliance with Congress or the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
{{/usCountry}}Read here: AAP's claims less credible than things in ‘chor bazaar’: BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla
The ED in its latest summons asked Kejriwal to appear before it on Monday, after he continued to skip interrogation since November last year when he was first asked to depose before the probe agency but did not, alleging the notice was “vague, motivated and unsustainable in law.”
The ED has also filed a complaint against Kejriwal for “disobeying” its summons in this case. The court granted Kejriwal an exemption from personally appearing in court until March 16. The Delhi chief minister appeared before the court virtually, submitting that he could not physically appear due to the ongoing Budget session of the Delhi assembly.
Read here: Arvind Kejriwal says he deserves a Nobel prize for running government in Delhi
According to ED, the AAP received huge funds around ₹100 crore to finalise the liquor excise policy. It was also alleged that a large chunk of this money was used by the party in its Goa election campaign. So far, the probe agency has arrested top AAP leaders - former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in the case.