Excise scam: Delhi court summons Arvind Kejriwal after ED files fresh complaint

A Delhi court on Thursday summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it on March 16. The summon comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a fresh complaint against Kejriwal for allegedly evading multiple summons with regards to questioning in the alleged Delhi liquor policy excise scam case, news agency PTI reported. 

In its complaint, the ED sought Kejriwal's prosecution for skipping its summons in a money laundering investigation linked to the alleged liquor policy scam. 

Reacting to the summons, the Delhi CM hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kejriwal also claimed that Opposition leaders are being coerced to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. He further said that he would stop getting ED summons if he joins the BJP fold.

"This is the truth of ED and Modi government. How people are included in BJP by getting harassed by ED. After getting the ED raid done, the question is asked - where will you go - BJP or jail? Those who refuse to go to BJP, they send them to jail," Kejriwal said on X (formerly Twitter). 

"If Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh join BJP today, they will get bail tomorrow itself. It is not that these three have committed any crime, they just refused to join BJP. If I join BJP today, I will also stop getting summons from ED. But in God's place there is delay, not darkness. Prime Minister, be afraid of God. It is not the same all the time. And time is very powerful," he said in his post. 

Previously, Kejriwal termed all 8 summonses by the ED as 'illegal' and informed the central agency that he could be questioned via video conferencing after March 12. He also said that the ED can telecast his questioning live if they want. 

Moreover, the AAP has alleged that the ED's intention is to arrest Kejriwal in the "middle of the Lok Sabha polls." The Lok Sabha elections are likely to be held in April-May this year.