The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced that it will request permission from the court to allow Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to continue working from jail if he is arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. The party MLAs conveyed this message to Mr. Kejriwal during a meeting, stating that even if he is detained by the central agency, he should remain in charge of the government.
Delhi minister Aatishi stated, “We are connecting with the people, who are claiming that the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal are being subjected to atrocities. Therefore, all the MLAs urged the Chief Minister today to continue as CM even if he goes to jail. The people of Delhi elected him as CM, and he should continue in that role.” She added that they will approach the court to seek permission to hold cabinet meetings in the jail.
Mr. Kejriwal was summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate on November 2 regarding the alleged money laundering aspect of the liquor scam. However, he skipped the questioning and anticipated his imminent arrest. He had previously been interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Manish Sisodia, Mr. Kejriwal’s former Deputy, had resigned from his cabinet post after being arrested in February and is still in jail. Last week, the Supreme Court rejected his bail petition, citing the existence of tentative evidence presented by the investigating agencies.
In a 41-page order, the court agreed with the CBI’s argument that there was a “carefully hatched conspiracy” to ensure that a select few profited greatly. The policy allowed for bribes to be received from wholesale distributors who were guaranteed excessive profits.
The agency claimed that liquor companies were involved in formulating the scrapped 2021 excise policy, which would have resulted in a 12% profit for them. The Enforcement Directorate also alleged that a liquor lobby known as the “South Group” had paid kickbacks, some of which were funneled to public servants.
The AAP has accused the BJP of attempting to destroy the party by systematically arresting and imprisoning its leaders in fabricated cases. Senior AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj stated, “The central government has one objective only – to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party at any cost… They are doing everything possible, including fabricating a fake case. The goal is to send Arvind Kejriwal to jail and obliterate the Aam Aadmi Party.”
