Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is on a three-day visit to Goa after missing the fourth consecutive summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to Delhi’s excise policy. AAP officials deemed the summons ‘illegal and politically motivated,’questioning its timing just months before the Lok Sabha elections.
Kejriwal left Delhi for Goa on Thursday, January 18, 2024. The party supported the CM’s decision, emphasizing that the trip was planned well in advance. During the visit to Goa, Kejriwal, along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, is overseeing organizational preparations for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, scheduled to take place in a few months.
Kejriwal and the AAP have consistently raised objections to the ED summons, citing unclear details about the nature of his appearance—whether as a witness or a suspect, in his capacity as chief minister or AAP chief—and the agency’s failure to provide information on its line of questioning.
AAP officials stated, “The BJP’s aim is to arrest Arvind Kejriwal and prevent him from campaigning in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. If the ED acknowledges that Arvind Kejriwal is not an accused, why issue the summons? Corrupt leaders join the BJP, and their cases are closed. We have not engaged in corruption, and no AAP leader will join the BJP.”
On the contrary, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva criticised Kejriwal for evading the agency.
He suggested that Kejriwal’s reluctance to appear before the ED and leaving Delhi again implies that he is avoiding the investigation. Sachdeva asserted, “The way Arvind Kejriwal is hiding from the ED, he looks like an economic fugitive.”
