Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Skips ED Summons Amid Ongoing Liquor Scam Investigation; Multiple AAP Leaders Under Investigation in Separate Cases
Kejriwal and other AAP leaders, accused by federal agencies of irregularities in liquor policy, deny allegations as political vendetta; Party plans to operate from jail in event of arrest.
- Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, bypassed a summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a corruption probe linked to alleged fraud in liquor sale policy under his governance.
- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership, including Kejriwal and other leaders like Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, face accusations of irregularities in the implementation of the liquor policy, which the ED and India's top investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), claim to have favored specific liquor dealers and illicitly funded an AAP electoral campaign.
- AAP leaders deny the allegations and claim them as political revenge initiated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the general elections in 2024.
- The ED also raided the properties of other AAP leaders including Raaj Kumar Anand, MLA Kulwant Singh, and Sanjay Singh, escalating tension amidst AAP leaders, raising the question of political survival if other leaders are arrested.
- Despite the escalating legal pressure and possible arrests, AAP remains defiant, stating that the party and government would continue to operate even from jail, resisting the BJP's alleged efforts to squash political opposition.
BBC 
