CBI summons Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday summoned Delhi chief minsiter Arvind Kejriwal for questioning on April 16 in connection with the excise policy case.
The AAP leader has been called in for questioning at 11am.
In a strong response, the Aam Aadmi Party denounced the CBI summons and lashed out at PM Modi, alleging that it is a “conspiracy to arrest Kejriwal”. The BJP countered the AAP attack and accused Kejriwal of being the “mastermind” of the alleged liquor policy scam.
‘Conspiracy to arrest Kejriwal’
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that the Delhi chief minister is being targeted by the central government for questioning PM Modi over his alleged links with Gautam Adani.
“Delhi chief minister had spoken about the Adani issue in Delhi Vidhan Sabha. That same day, I had told him that you will be next. Narendra Modi-led Centre is corrupt from head to toe and Kejriwal’s fight against corruption won’t stop due to such notices,” Singh said.
He added that Kejriwal will not get scared by such “tactics” and will continue to raise the issue of corruption and black money.
“I’d like to tell the PM – you and your government are covered in corruption from head to toe and Arvind Kejriwal’s fight will not stop with this CBI summon. The conspiracy hatched by you to arrest, jail and take action against Arvind Kejriwal on April 16 will not stifle his voice,” Singh said.
‘Three friends will be in same jail’
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, at a press conference, said the day is not far when “three friends” who miss each other — Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain — will sit in the same barrack of Tihar jail.
“The Delhi BJP has all along been saying that Kejriwal is the mastermind of the liquor scam in which his minister Manish Sisodia is in jail. Kejriwal is directly involved in the scam because the excise policy was approved by his Cabinet under his chairmanship,” Sachdeva alleged.
He claimed that the Kejriwal government by introducing the excise policy caused a loss to Delhi’s revenue and also hurt the society.
Liquor policy case
The CBI on February 26 arrested former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
He was later arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Sisodia is currently in judicial custody in the matter.
It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP. The policy was later scrapped.
“It was further alleged that irregularities were committed, including modifications in Excise Policy, extending undue favours to the licensees, waiver/reduction in licence fee, the extension of L-1 license without approval etc.
“It was also alleged that illegal gains on the count of these acts were diverted to concerned public servants by private parties by making false entries in their books of accounts,” a CBI spokesperson had said after FIR filed on August 17, 2022.
The AAP leaders, including Kejriwal, have denied any wrongdoing in the now-scrapped liquor policy and have accused the agencies of acting on the behest of the central government.
(With inputs from agencies)
