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Arvind Kejriwal's phone in focus amid AAP, BJP fresh war of words
Atishi accused ED of acting as BJP's political weapon, alleging that the agency is trying to extract AAP's election strategy from seized phones.
Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi lambasted the Enforcement Directorate on Friday, calling the agency “BJP's political weapon”, and accusing the officials of trying to extract the polling strategy of Aam Aadmi Party. Atishi alleged that ED is trying to get the details of AAP's election strategy for the Lok Sabha polls by investigating Arvind Kejriwal's phone.
Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, with several electronics seized from his residence, including his personal mobile phone. He has been arrested by the ED in relation with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case and is in its custody till April 1.
Addressing a press conference here, Atishi claimed the insistence of the ED to look into Kejriwal's mobile phone, which was a few months old and did not exist when the policy was formed and implemented, proved that the agency was working as a "political weapon" of the BJP.
However, the Bharatiya Janta Party was quick to hit back at Atishi, with Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva accusing her of “bluffing”. Sachdeva asked the AAP to explain to the people why Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia "changed phones frequently".
Atishi, who is a Cabinet minister in the Delhi government, said, "Actually it is the BJP and not the ED that wants to know what is there on Kejriwal's phone". She said that the excise policy was implemented in 2021-2022, while the Delhi CM's phone is just a few months old.
The ED said Kejriwal's phone from that period is not available, and now, it wants the password of his new phone, Atishi said. "They want it because they will find in it details of AAP's Lok Sabha poll strategy, campaign plans, talks with INDIA bloc leaders and information regarding media and social media strategy," she said.
Delhi BJP responded to this claim by saying that both Kejriwal and Sisodia admitted that “they changed several phones.” Manish Sisodia is lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail after being arrested in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Meanwhile, Atishi said, “So I want to ask the ED why they want to examine a phone that is only a few months old when they know that it is not the phone used during the policy period.”
(With inputs from PTI)
