Summoned to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today, Thursday November 2, and rumours of his impending “arrest” doing the rounds in the national capital, Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal has demanded that the agency withdraw the “politically motivated” summons.
In a two page letter made public today, Kejriwal states that “in the said summons it is not clear as to what capacity I am being summoned.” Besides, he says, the said summons fails to provide details in relation to the File bearing F. No. EClR/ HIUJJ/ 14/2022” which is the criminal complaint in the liquor policy case.
He also states that the “said summons does not specify whether l run being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry.” Two senior members of his party, one the Delhi Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia and also, Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh have already been arrested in the same case. Sisodia’s bail was turned down by the Supreme Court this week.
In the letter, Kejriwal seeks to explain that the “summons appear to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations. As soon as the summons were issued, on the afternoon of October 30, 2023, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started making statements that he would soon be summoned and arrested. By the evening of October 30, Kejriwal had received the summons.
Kejriwal finally explains (or states) in the letter that as “incumbent Chief Minister of the Government of NCT or Delhi and National Convenor or the Aam Aadmi Party, i.e. the ruling party in the state of National Capital territory (NCT and Punjab.” The fact that there are five states in the Country, i.e. Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarb, Rajasthan and Telangana are heading for elections and he is the chief campaigner for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he is required to travel and hence cannot be present before the ED.
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