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New Delhi: Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj have created a political storm by claiming possible arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). These claims, circulated through social media posts late on Wednesday night, suggest that the ED is expected to reach Kejriwal’s residence on the morning of January 4 to make the arrest. This comes after Kejriwal skipped the ED summons for the third time on Wednesday (January 3) in connection with the alleged liquor scam case.
Party sources also claimed that the roads leading to Mr Kejriwal’s residence have been blocked by Delhi police.
AAP leaders raise fears of Kejriwal’s arrest
“News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely,” Atishi said in a post on X at 11.50 pm on Wednesday.
News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely.
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) January 3, 2024
Similar posts were seen on the handles of senior party leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Jasmine Shah and Sandeep Pathak.
सुनने में आ रहा है कल सुबह मुख्यमंत्री केजरीवाल जी के घर ED पहुँच कर उन्हें गिरफ़्तार करने वाली है ।
— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) January 3, 2024
BREAKING
Sources confirm that ED is going to raid the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow morning.
He is likely to be arrested.
— Jasmine Shah (@Jasmine441) January 3, 2024
Arvind Kejriwal faces ED summons several times
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned several times by the ED in the Delhi Excise Policy case. However, he has repeatedly failed to appear, alleging that the repeated notices are part of a political conspiracy to arrest him and hamper his participation in the Lok Sabha election campaign. Kejriwal also objected to the vagueness of the summons and questioned whether he was being called as a witness or a suspect.
55-year-old Mr Kejriwal has skipped summons for questioning thrice. The last time he refused to appear was today. He had also refused to appear before the probe agency on November 2 and December 21. Under the rules, a non-bailable warrant can be issued against him any time and he can be arrested.
BJP has made strong allegations against Kejriwal for ignoring the ED summons. The BJP accused the Delhi Chief Minister of being the ‘kingpin’ of the alleged liquor policy scam and a ‘corrupt termite’ in politics. The party has challenged Kejriwal to face the ED and answer its questions, saying he has something to hide. They further claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has given a ‘free hand’ to investigating agencies to take action against corruption.
While BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and Congress leader Udit Raj have accused Kejriwal of being afraid of the ED and putting pressure on investigating agencies, Kejriwal has received the support of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. Raut claims that Kejriwal is fearless and has nothing to hide. Amidst this political turmoil, the Aam Aadmi Party is continuously alleging that the ED’s intention is to arrest the Chief Minister, so that he can be prevented from taking part in the election campaign.
