Delhi’s CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, affirmed today that the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) repeated summons in the alleged liquor scam, just before the upcoming Lok Sabha poll, are an attempt to hinder his campaigning. This is despite the ongoing two-year investigation into the matter.
The Delhi CM emphasized that his honesty is his biggest asset, and the BJP wants to hurt his honesty with fake cases. He said, I have always fought for the country, every breath of mine, every drop of my blood is dedicated to the country. They have kept many of our leaders in jail by making fake cases and now want to arrest me.
Addressing a press conference, the Delhi Chief Minister said, “Why has this investigation been going on for two years, why am I being called now, just before the Lok Sabha elections, why was I not called earlier? The CBI had called me 8 months ago. I had gone to the CBI and given all their answers. But now these people are calling me just two months before the Lok Sabha elections. So, BJP’s aim is not to do any inquiry, their aim is to interrogate. Call Kejriwal on some pretext and arrest him so that I cannot campaign in the Lok Sabha elections.” Today, BJP is not arresting the corrupt, rather the work is being done openly by using ED and CBI to take away the leaders of other parties and get them to join the BJP, he added.
The Chief Minister said that for the last two years, all the agencies of BJP have raided many people and arrested many people but till now, not even a single penny has been found from anywhere. “If corruption has really happened, then where have all those crores of rupees gone? Did all the money disappear into thin air? The truth is that there was no corruption of any kind, if it had happened then money would also have been received, he said.
Accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of putting several Aam Aadmi Party leaders in jail in such fake cases without any evidence, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “Shenanigans are going on openly, catching anyone and putting them in jail. Now, the BJP wants to arrest me. My greatest asset, my greatest strength is my honesty. By making false allegations and sending fake summons, they want to defame me and hurt my honesty.”
The Chief Minister said that his lawyers told him that these summonses were illegal and the same was conveyed to the ED in his letter dated 03.01.2024. “I have written to him in detail as to why this is illegal. I have told him how his summons are illegal but he has not responded to my any query, which means he has no response to my points, which means he also believes that his notices are illegal. Should I comply with an illegal summons?” he reasoned.
In his reply yesterday to the summons issued by the Assistant Director, ED asking him to appear in person on January 3, CM Arvind Kejriwal had written: “It is a matter of concern that despite my comprehensive response(s) bringing to your notice critical dimensions and legal objections involved in issuing summons to me to appear ‘in person’ in your purported exercise of powers under Section 50 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (‘PMLA’), you have chosen not to respond. Therefore, I reiterate that the summonses are motivated and issued for vexatious considerations,” said Shri Arvind Kejriwal.
Alleging that the summons was being issued at the behest of the BJP with an intention to stop him from campaigning in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll, the CM said, “If a legally correct summons comes, I will fully cooperate. BJP’s objective is not to investigate, their objective is to stop me from campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. Just before the Lok Sabha elections, he has sent me a summons,” said Shri Arvind Kejriwal.
Supporting his claim that the misuse of investigating agencies was politically motivated, the CM said, “Today, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Vijay Nair are not in jail because they have committed corruption, they are in jail because they have refused to join the BJP. There are several examples where ED, CBI cases were going on against a party leader or there were serious charges against him, as soon as that leader joined the BJP, the cases against them were put into cold storage. So, whoever joins their party, all his cases are dismissed. Whoever does not join their party, goes to jail.”
Shri Arvind Kejriwal said he and his party colleagues are able to stand against the BJP today as they have not committed any corruption. “Had we been involved in the slightest of irregularity, we would also have joined the BJP like other corrupt leaders.”
Appealing to the countrymen to stand by him in this hour of crisis, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said,“The country cannot move forward by putting honest leaders in jail and allowing corrupt people to join their party. What’s going on? Whatever is going on is very dangerous. This is very bad for our democracy; it must be stopped. I have always fought for the country. My body, mind and resources are for the country, every breath of mine is for the country, every drop of my blood is for the country, each cell of my body is dedicated to the country. We must save the country together. I am fighting against them with all my might, I need your support.”
