Politics
Kejriwal Alleges "Illegal Summons" To Stop Him From Lok Sabha Election Campaigning, BJP Using ED, CBI To Poach Leaders
Arvind Kejriwal (still from 4 January 2024 video message)
In the midst of rampant rumors of his impending arrest linked to an alleged liquor scam, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal released a video message on Thursday (4 January).
He addressed the term "sharab ghotala" that has been circulating for the past two years, and said that the numerous raids that have ensued, yet not a single rupee was found.
He questioned the whereabouts of the money, wondering if it had simply disappeared into thin air. Kejriwal firmly stated that there was no corruption.
The video message comes a day after the Delhi CM failed to respond to the third summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
"Numerous AAP leaders have been wrongly accused and are currently imprisoned despite the lack of evidence against them. Now, the BJP is aiming to apprehend me. My honesty is my greatest asset. They are trying to tarnish my reputation and damage my image through baseless allegations," stated Kejriwal.
Kejriwal, in his discussion about the summons, stated that his legal counsel advised him that the summons were unlawful. He elaborated on the illegality of the summons in writing but received no response due to the lack of a counter-argument. He questioned the validity of adhering to "illegal" summonses and asserted his willingness to comply should a lawful summons be issued to him.
Kejriwal asserted that the BJP has no actual intention to investigate, but rather aims to hinder his campaign for the Lok Sabha election. He questioned the timing of his summons and said that when the investigation is going on for two years, "why summons before elections".
He recalled his cooperation with the CBI eight months ago, during which he provided all necessary responses. He expressed that the BJP's objective is merely to arrest him under the guise of a summons.
"The BJP is using ED and CBI to poach leaders from other parties. There is more than one instance of how leaders who join the BJP immediately get a clean chit. Today Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh are in jail not because they indulged in corruption, but because they refused to join the BJP. Had we done something wrong, we would have joined the BJP by now," Kejriwal said.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
