Busy with Rajya Sabha election and Republic Day preparations, send questionnaire: Kejriwal to ED

Kejriwal was summoned on Wednesday for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate for the third time, ignoring the fresh summons with the AAP, alleging that the agency's intention is to arrest their party chief and stop him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections.

Kejriwal told the ED in a letter that he is busy with the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Delhi and is ready to answer any questionnaire from the agency.

AAP sources said Kejriwal also told the agency that he will not appear before the agency as their notice was illegal — a stand he took when he was summoned on November 2 and December 21 in connection with the probe into money laundering case linked with the Delhi excise policy.

Ruling BJP attacked the AAP with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur alleging that the AAP is the "biggest corrupt party" in today's date and their several ministers are in jail and Kejriwal by skipping summons continuously, they are saying that there is something wrong.

Referring to his earlier letters where he sought clarification on the "real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called", he said, "Your silence on the aforementioned critical aspects leads me to infer that you are maintaining unwarranted secrecy and are being opaque and arbitrary in the present matter."

He said being National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, he is held up in the process of Rajya Sabha elections and a "being the Chief Minister of Delhi, I am also quite occupied in planning and preparations for several programmes and functions for the Republic Day i.e., 26th January 2024."

Kejriwal said he "would be happy to respond to any questionnaire" if the agency seeks any information or documents, which are in his knowledge or possession.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told reporters, “why has the notice been sent right before elections? The notice is an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning in elections."

He added, "the ED has still not answered in what capacity is he being summoned – as a witness or an accused. The entire excise policy case is political and an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP-led Centre has hatched a conspiracy to get him arrested."

Another Delhi Minister Atishi said Kejriwal wrote twice to the ED but the agency has not responded to his questions so far.