Because the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, Delhi minister Atishi on Thursday mentioned the previous will stay the Chief Minister and “run the federal government from jail if wanted”.
Addressing media individuals, Atishi alleged that Kejriwal’s arrest was a “political conspiracy” by BJP-led central authorities within the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. She additionally mentioned that Kejriwal “is, was, and stay the Delhi Chief Minister”.
“We now have mentioned earlier that if wanted, Kejriwal will run the federal government from jail. He can run the federal government as no rule can forestall him from doing that. He has not been convicted and so he’ll stay because the Delhi Chief Minister,” Atishi mentioned.
She alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “scared” of Kejriwal and asserted that probe companies didn’t discover a “single penny” throughout the investigation into the excise coverage case.
“With an enormous variety of police and paramilitary forces current (exterior Kejriwal’s residence), it was clear that the ED would arrest him. Previously two years for the reason that investigation began, the ED and CBI raided the houses of AAP ministers, MPs and MLAs. They haven’t discovered a single penny,” the minister mentioned.
Lashing out at PM Modi, Atishi mentioned, “I wish to inform the Prime Minister that Arvind Kejriwal isn’t solely an individual, he is an ideology. He’s afraid of Kejriwal. And, Kejriwal is, was and can stay the Delhi Chief Minister. There is no such thing as a query about it.”
She additional mentioned that the AAP has approached the Supreme Court docket and filed a case in opposition to his arrest. Kejriwal is scheduled to be produced earlier than a particular court docket on Friday.
ARVIND KEJRIWAL ARRESTED BY ED
Kejriwal’s arrest, the primary of a sitting chief minister, got here hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive motion by the ED. It additionally got here after the arrest of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief Ok Kavitha final week. She is presently in ED custody in the identical case.
The ED had just lately alleged in a press release that Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and some others “conspired” with top AAP leaders like Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia to get favours within the now-scrapped Delhi excise coverage by paying Rs 100 crore to the political get together that guidelines Delhi.
The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi authorities’s excise coverage for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody within the case.
Kejriwal’s identify has been talked about a number of instances within the cost sheets filed by the ED. The company has alleged that the accused have been in contact with Kejriwal for formulating the excise coverage that resulted in undue advantages to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.
Kejriwal had skipped nine summonses issued by the probe agency for questioning within the Delhi excise coverage case, the newest being for March 21. He had referred to as these summonses “unlawful”.
(with inputs from PTI)