New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Friday summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to join the investigation in the alleged excise policy scam case on Sunday. Sources in the CBI said they have uncovered fresh evidence and have grounds to question the Chief Minister now. According to the sources, Kejriwal`s testimony will be recorded by a team of top officials on Sunday.
The AAP chief earlier accused the Enforcement Directorate of “misleading” the court with false evidence in the excise policy case. The AAP national convenor said this while talking to reporters after attending the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations at the Delhi Assembly. “The ED is taking false statements by torturing people and pressuring them. Even in the case of Sanjay Singh, it has come to the fore that the accused gave a different statement and the ED has written something else in the charge sheet,” Kejriwal said, replying to a question about the ED’s charge that his former deputy Manish Sisodia destroyed his mobile phones.
The Chief Minister said that the ED has claimed that Sisodia has broken his phones but many of those phones are in the agency’s custody. “The ED is misleading the court with false evidence, torturing people, and making false statements. There is nothing in this whole matter, the whole matter is fabricated and is based on false evidence. This is not a good thing,” he said.
The AAP leader also attacked the anti-national forces in the country that don’t want the country to progress. He added that those who don’t want quality education for the children of the poor and Dalits of the country, have sent Manish Sisodia to jail. Those who sent him to jail are enemies of the country, he added.
#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says, “We have several anti-national forces in the country that don’t want the country to progress. Who doesn’t want quality education for the children of the poor & Dalits of the country?… All those who didn’t want it sent Manish Sisodia to… pic.twitter.com/QjuW37lfd8— ANI (@ANI) April 14, 2023
‘Ambedkar Biggest Shining Star In History Of India’
Kejriwal also said his government was following the footsteps of B R Ambedkar by giving the utmost importance to education. “Today is the birthday of Babasaheb Ambedkar, the biggest shining star in the history of India, who got higher education after a lot of struggle and finally wrote the Constitution of India,” he said.
“Babasaheb gave the biggest message in his life that everyone should get a good education. And following his path, we too are giving utmost importance to education. Whether it is the child of the poor or the child of the rich, everyone should get a good education,” he added.
Sisodia Planted Fake Emails, Claims ED
The Enforcement Directorate had Wednesday told the Delhi court that Sisodia, arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise case, had planted fabricated e-mails to show that there was public approval for the policy. The central agency made the submissions before Special Judge M K Nagpal while opposing the bail application of the former Delhi deputy chief minister.
Now, Kejriwal Summoned in Liquor Scam By CBI
Delhi Chief Minister has now been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation for questioning in connection with the alleged corruption in the now-scrapped alcohol sales policy in the national capital that led to the arrest of his deputy Manish Sisodia in February. He has been reportedly asked to appear before the agency on Sunday, sources said.
The CBI has claimed that the Kejriwal government received kickbacks in crores for formulating a favourable policy and the funds were channelled into the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) election campaign in Goa last year. However, Delhi’s ruling party has categorically dismissed the charges as “political vendetta” and attempts by the BJP to settle political scores.