Delhi: Kejriwal calls meeting with AAP MLAs after ED summons
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday convened a meeting with his party MLAs. The meeting reportedly discussed the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s summons to him in relation to a corruption case involving the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi liquor policy. To recall, Kejriwal skipped ED's summons on Thursday, calling it "politically motivated." Two other leaders of the AAP, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently behind bars in connection with the case.
Why does this story matter?
AAP leaders have expressed concern that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre might get Kejriwal arrested by the ED to crush the opposition before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The meeting called by Kejriwal also reportedly focused on the rising actions of central probe agencies against his party leaders. The AAP has 62 MLAs in the national capital, and they were all expected to attend the meeting in Delhi's assembly complex, reported The Times of India earlier.
Previous arrests, questioning in Delhi liquor policy case
While Kejriwal has reiterated that the summons was sent to him at the behest of the BJP, this is not the first time he has been summoned in the case. In April, the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) questioned him for nine hours. Former Delhi Deputy CM Sisodia was arrested in February, while AAP Rajya Sabha MP Singh was arrested in October. The CBI and ED are separately investigating the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Delhi excise policy and money laundering case
The investigating agencies have claimed that the 2021-22 Delhi Excise Policy—implemented in November 2021 and scrapped in July 2022—led to cartelization by granting clearances to ineligible players in lieu of kickbacks, which were used for the AAP's Goa election campaign. The AAP has dismissed the allegations, saying the policy would have resulted in increased revenue. Kejriwal's government has denied money laundering, but the Supreme Court earlier noted a money trail of Rs. 338 crore was tentatively established in the case.
More details on case; another AAP leader raided
The case over the alleged liquor scam was registered after Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena suspected procedural lapses in the excise policy formulation based on a July 2022 report by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar. Earlier, several BJP leaders claimed that Kejriwal's arrest in the case was imminent. In a separate development, ED raided AAP MLA and Delhi Social Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand's house in a customs-related money laundering case last week, triggering criticism from the party.
