Kejriwal's Arrest Imminent? AAP Sounds Alarm As Delhi CM Set For ED Grilling In Liquor Policy Case Today

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at 11 am today for questioning in the liquor policy case.

The party has voiced concerns that this could lead to Kejriwal's arrest.

Kejriwal was summoned by the ED - which is probing the money laundering angle in the liquor policy case - on Monday. This came shortly after the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of his ex-deputy, Manish Sisodia, who is the prime accused in the case.

The judges had said a money trail of Rs 338 crore has been tentatively established.

Earlier in April, Kejriwal was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding the case.

Following the issuance of the summons, AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had said, "The Central government has only one objective - to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party at any cost. For this, they are leaving no stone unturned, including creating a fake case. The idea is to send Arvind Kejriwal to jail and destroy the Aam Aadmi Party".

On Tuesday, Bharadwaj had claimed that Kejriwal would be arrested by the ED.

In response to inquiries about the party's contingency plans, he remarked, "As of now, I don't know and I don't think there's any discussion about it. Kejriwal is our leader and we will work under his direction".

Atishi, another Delhi minister, has also also claimed that Kejriwal might be detained after questioning.

She contends that this would be due to his criticisms of the BJP, rather than any substantive evidence from the agency.

AAP is a member of the Opposition bloc INDI Alliance and several members of the bloc have condemned the summons and said it is further proof of their stand that the central agencies are being misused by the BJP-led government.

Addressing the matter on Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Congress, said, "Before next year's elections, they (the BJP) are trying to gag the voice of all opposition parties. They are planning to arrest all opposition leaders before polls so they can vote for themselves in an empty country... they are hatching a conspiracy".

Should he be arrested, Kejriwal would become the third high-ranking AAP leader arrested in connection with the liquor policy case.

Previously, Sisodia was detained in February, followed by the party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh last month.

Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain had also been arrested in a money laundering case last year.

Dismissing the AAP's claims, the BJP has said that the AAP was finishing itself off with its "scams, corruption and misdeeds".

It also claimed that a "massive scam" like the liquor policy case could not have happened without Mr Kejriwal's approval.

The party has said the central agencies are acting independently and the legal process is being followed.

The CBI's case centres on the involvement of liquor firms in devising the excise policy, which was projected to yield them a 12 per cent profit. It has claimed that a liquor lobby had paid kickbacks.

The ED is probing the alleged laundering of the kickbacks.