Kejriwal claims ED summonses to him will stop if he joins BJP

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has so far skipped eight Enforcement Directorate summonses in the excise policy-related case, on Wednesday said the notices to him would stop if he joined the BJP.

Kejriwal's reaction came after the ED filed a fresh complaint before a Delhi court seeking his prosecution for skipping its summonses in a money laundering investigation related to the alleged liquor policy scam.

The Delhi chief minister, in a post on X, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that opposition leaders were being 'forced' to join the BJP by 'harassing' them using the ED.

"ED raids are conducted asking where will you go -- BJP or jail? Those who refuse to join the BJP are sent to jail. Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh will get bail tomorrow if they join the BJP today... Even I will stop getting ED summonses if I join the BJP now," Kejriwal said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener also said that time is very powerful and keeps changing.

The latest complaint of ED pertains to Kejriwal not honouring summons number four to eight, official sources said. The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra has listed the matter for hearing on Thursday.

The ED had earlier moved a local court seeking Kejriwal's prosecution for not attending the first three summonses issued to him in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

The court of ACMM Malhotra has listed this matter (regarding summonses no. 1 to 3) for hearing on March 16.

Kejriwal, 55, had called all the ED summonses 'illegal' and informed the agency last time that he could be questioned via a videoconferencing link after March 12.