BJP 'misusing' ED to stop Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning in LS polls: AAP

Arvind Kejriwal 

# BJP 'misusing' ED to stop Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning in LS polls: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "misusing" the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to stop Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The AAP's allegation came after the ED issued its fourth summons to Kejriwal on Saturday, asking him to appear before the agency on January 18 for questioning in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The AAP claimed that the timing of the summons was not a coincidence, as it coincided with Kejriwal's planned three-day visit to Goa from January 18 for the Lok Sabha election preparations. The AAP also alleged that the news of the summons had already been leaked to the media before it reached the Delhi CM, indicating that the ED was acting as a "political weapon" of the BJP.

The AAP's Delhi state convener and environment minister Gopal Rai said, "The ED should refrain from becoming a political weapon of the BJP and stop working as the party's frontal organisation." He also said that they were consulting their legal team and would act accordingly to the summons.

The BJP, on the other hand, denied the AAP's charges and accused Kejriwal of acting like a "fugitive" and giving a "political colour" to the ED's probe. The BJP's Delhi chief Virendra Sachdeva said, "It is surprising that Kejriwal allowed his former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to join the probe into the liquor scam but started finding faults in the process when the investigation reached his doorstep."

The ED's case is related to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi government's excise policy in 2016-17, which allowed some private companies to sell liquor in the national capital. The ED had registered a money laundering case against some Delhi government officials and private firms in 2018, following a CBI FIR in the same matter.

Sources:

[1](https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/India/bjp-misusing-ed-to-stop-arvind-kejriwal-from-campaigning-in-ls-polls-aap/ar-AA1mW9tq)

[2](https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bjp-trying-to-stop-arvind-kejriwal-from-campaigning-for-lok-sabha-polls-aam-aadmi-party-on-delhi-chief-ministers-enforcement-directorate-summons/cid/1993513)

[3](https://www.dailypioneer.com/2024/state-editions/bjp-misusing-ed-to-stop-kejriwal-from-campaigning-for-ls-polls--rai.html)

[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/bjp-misusing-ed-to-stop-arvind-kejriwal-from-campaigning-in-ls-polls-aap/articleshow/106828382.cms)

[5](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2024/jan/13/bjp-misusing-ed-to-stop-kejriwal-from-campaigning-for-lok-sabha-polls-aap-on-summons-2650715.html)

[6](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/bjp-misusing-ed-to-prevent-kejri-from-campaigning-alleges-aap-581053)