Delhi excise policy case: CM Kejriwal skips 5th ED summons; AAP and BJP protest in Delhi

The AAP also alleged that the BJP wants to topple its government in Delhi by getting Kejriwal arrested. The AAP will not let this happen, it said.

Kejriwal skipped ED summonses for 2 November and 21 December in 2023 and 3 January and 18 January this year. He had called these notices “illegal”.

Also Read: ED issues fourth summons to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case

AAP and BJP protests

The Delhi Chief Minister was, however, scheduled to take part in a protest by the AAP outside the BJP headquarters in Delhi at 11 am.

The AAP’s protest was against alleged “cheating” in Tuesday’s Chandigarh mayoral polls, which the BJP won.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that some of its leaders, including MLAs and councillors, were placed under house arrest or detained, while its volunteers stopped from participating in a protest outside the BJP headquarters in Delhi.

Security has been stepped-up in Central Delhi with police barricading several roads leading to the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg and deploying additional personnel in view of the AAP’s demonstration as well as a protest by the BJP against “corruption” in the Kejriwal government.

Delhi BJP leaders and workers staged a protest near the AAP headquarters on the DDU Marg in Delhi on Friday, alleging corruption in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government.

The offices of both the parties are on the same road, a few hundred metres from each other.

BJP workers raised slogans against Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal and demanded his resignation.

“Kejriwal government has become synonymous with corruption. Every day a scam of the government is exposed before the people,” Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said.

In a post on X, Kejriwal said, “First votes were stolen in the Chandigarh mayoral elections. Now, people coming to protest peacefully against this are being stopped at various places across Delhi.”

“Across Delhi, they are detaining elected MLAs, councillors and volunteers, who were coming to the party office. What is this going on?” he said in another post.

All across Del, they are detaining elected MLAs, councillors and volunteers who were coming to party office. What is this going on? https://t.co/fzSfibjgYl

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2024

Officials said roads leading to the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg have been closed since morning and barricades have been set up near the headquarters of the BJP and the AAP.

The BJP on Tuesday, 30 January swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls, retaining all three posts of mayor, senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, in a setback to the Congress-AAP alliance which has alleged tampering with ballot papers by the presiding officer.

Also Read: ED likely to issue fresh summons to Arvind Kejriwal

Mention of Kejriwal’s name

The ED has claimed in one of the charge sheets that it has recorded the statement of Buichibabu Gorantla, an accountant allegedly linked to BRS leader K Kavitha, in which he said “there was political understanding between K Kavitha and the chief minister (Kejriwal) and (former) deputy chief minister (Manish Sisodia). In that process, K Kavitha also met Vijay Nair (AAP communications in-charge arrested in the case) on 19-20 March, 2021”.

In an another instance involving arrested accused Dinesh Arora, the ED said he told the agency that he had met Kejriwal once at his residence.

Similarly, the ED charge sheet said YSRCP MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy also held meetings with Kejriwal, wherein the AAP leader welcomed his entry into the Delhi liquor business.

It had said Butchibabu and another accused, Arun Ramachandra Pillai, have revealed that they and Nair were working with the “support and sanction” of Kejriwal and Sisodia for all the excise policy-related activities, including its formulation and implementation.

It had also alleged that Nair “arranged a video call through Facetime (a video-calling facility on iPhone) for another arrested accused, Sameer (Mahendru), and Arvind Kejriwal, where Arvind said to Sameer that Vijay is his boy and that Sameer should trust him and carry on with him”.

Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal skips ED summons

Delhi excise policy scam

Kejriwal’s party colleagues, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are in judicial custody in this case.

The AAP had alleged that Kejriwal would be the first to be arrested as part of the BJP’s plan to target top INDIA bloc leaders ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the ED summons were an attempt to finish the party that is in power in Delhi and Punjab.

It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped, and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA.

(With PTI inputs)