Delhi liquor policy case: Kavitha pledges to cooperate with agencies, slams BJP
Kavitha, who is Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR’s daughter, said she was not afraid of being arrested as long as the people of the state are with her
Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) lawmaker Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Thursday pledged to cooperate with probe agencies even as she slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government for deliberately leaking her reference in a court filing over the probe into the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy to the media. She said this was done to damage her reputation.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday cited statements of businessman Amit Arora, who was arrested this week in connection with the case, and claimed Kavitha was a key member of the “South Group”, which allegedly paid at least ₹ 100 crore in kickbacks to leaders of Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) through another arrested businessman Vijay Nair.
Kavitha, who is Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR’s daughter, said she was not afraid of being arrested as long as the people of the state are with her. “What can they do? At the most, they will arrest me and send me to jail. But as long as the people are with the TRS, we do not have to worry about such arrests or allegations. The TRS shall continue to work for the people of the state as well as the country and fight against the BJP.”
Kavitha alleged the ED cited her name in Arora’s remand report in retaliation to the TRS government’s action over the BJP’s alleged attempts to topple the Telangana government by poaching the ruling party’s lawmakers.
“In the last eight years, the Narendra Modi government has toppled democratically-elected governments in as many as nine states by misusing the Central agencies like the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation], ED, and the Income Tax Department. But their nefarious designs did not work in a politically conscious Telangana. Even a small kid in Telangana is now aware that the BJP tried to destabilise the KCR government.”
KCR, who renamed TRS as Bharat Rashtra Samithi in October, as part of his national expansion plans ahead of the 2024 national polls has been rallying regional parties against the BJP.
Kavitha said it has become a routine practice for the BJP to target the states where it is not in power by misusing the central agencies and damaging the reputation of its political opponents during the elections. “In any state where elections are scheduled, the ED reaches first before Modi arrives there. As Telangana is about to face elections in December next year, the ED has arrived in Telangana. It is a routine strategy and a cheap political gimmick by the BJP. We do not have to worry about such tactics.”
The ED on Wednesday told a Delhi court that Kavitha changed her phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity six times after the probe into the liquor policy case was handed over to the agency. It made the submission while seeking Arora’s judicial remand.
The ED cited an analysis of data and added it found digital evidence was destroyed to hamper the investigation. It referred to its probe and said Nair received kickbacks on behalf of AAP leaders from the “South Group”. ED claimed Kavitha was among those who controlled the group.
The ED claimed extensive digital evidence was destroyed to stymie the investigation. It added 36 suspects and accused in the case, including Kavitha, destroyed 176 cell phones and laptops after the case was handed over to the agency.