Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who evaded the eighth Enforcement Directorate summons in connection with the excise policy case on Monday, has shown willingness to appear before the agency via video conference after March 12, according to official sources.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into Kejriwal's statement, according to sources. According to sources, the investigative agency may reject Kejriwal's request to appear remotely and give him a ninth summons for interrogation in the case.
In the “middle of the Lok Sabha polls,” the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), according to the party, is scheduled to be arrested by the inquiry agency. The Election Commission has not yet released the calendar for the polls that are anticipated to take place in April and May.
Kejriwal has ignored the ED's summonses, claiming they are unlawful and requesting that the agency hold off while the case is pending in court. According to insiders, Kejriwal claimed in his most recent response to the ED that the summonses are “illegal” but that he is still willing to answer the investigative agency's queries.
Kejriwal must also appear before a municipal court on March 16 because the ED has requested his appearance in a complaint filed against him for failing to appear in response to summonses. The AAP demanded that Kejriwal be questioned by the ED via videoconference and live transmission.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari aimed at the chief minister, declaring that he should not receive any further breaks. “What kind of instruction is Kejriwal providing to the Delhi children? I think he should not be allowed to relax anymore. He ought to be dealt with severely now, Tiwari said to PTI Videos. By ignoring the ED's summonses, Delhi BJP spokesman Harish Khurana claimed that Kejriwal had disregarded the law.
“He (Kejriwal) has now stated that he will appear before the ED virtually on March 12. “He can do this even now if he wants to appear virtually,” Khurana remarked. Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi Health Minister, and AAP leader stated that various BJP ministers and spokespersons have claimed that Kejriwal is attempting to avoid answering questions, but the AAP has maintained that the issue is not the questions, but his arrest.
“So, the CM has now discovered a compromise. He has promised to use video conferencing to respond to all inquiries as soon as the Budget session concludes, Bharadwaj told PTI Videos.