Summons was leaked... to malign my image: Delhi CM Kejriwal writes to ED, skips questioning in excise policy scam case

Minutes before he was scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the probe agency saying its summons "appeared to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations."Kejriwal was supposed to depose at the probe agency's Delhi office at 11 am on Thursday.He told the ED that he will not appear for questioning and as a national convenor as well as a star campaigner for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he is "required to travel for campaigning and to provide political guidance" to his field workers of the party.As per reports, Kerjriwal will be holding a roadshow, along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli.Arvind Kejriwal's letter to EDIn his letter to ED, dated November 2, 2023, Kejriwal said he received the summons on October 30 and it was "not clear as to the capacity in which I am being summoned i.e. as a witness or a suspect" in the case.The Delhi CM further claimed that "the summons does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry."Kejriwal further alleged that the summons appeared to be "motivated and issued for extraneous considerations."The Delhi CM also claimed that "the said summons was leaked to select BJP leaders to malign" his image and reputation and has been issued "at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre."Asking the ED to recall summons calling them "vague and motived," Kejriwal said, "I am the incumbent Chief Minister of the Govt. of NCT of Delhi and National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Part, i.e. the ruling party in the State of NCT of Delhi and Punjab. The fact that there are 5 states in the country i.e. Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana which are going to elections shortly and Election Commission has already announced the dates.""Elections are in November and the results will be announced on December 3, 2023. Being the National Convenor and a star campaigner of the Aam Aadmi Party, a National Party, which is contesting elections, I am required to travel for campaigning and to provide political guidance to my field workers of Aam Aadmi Party."Kejriwal further said as the Chief Minister of Delhi, "I have governance and official commitments, for which my presence is required, particularly in view of Diwali festivities coming up in the second week of November, 2023.""Please recall the said summons, which is to say the least is vague and motivated and I am advised, unsustainable in law," Kejriwal said.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED are probing the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22 that allegedly favoured certain liquor dealers, an allegation that the AAP has strongly denied.Based on a report of the chief secretary of the Delhi government, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe in July last year into alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the policy.The report cited various alleged irregularities including a waiver of Rs 144 crore to the retail licensees under the policy in the name of COVID-19-impacted sales and a refund of Rs 30 crore to a successful bidder for the airport zone who failed to obtain a no objection certificate for opening liquor stores there, officials said.Another allegation was that the commission of wholesale licensees was raised from five per cent to 12 per cent in an instance of "quid pro quo", they added.With inputs from agencies