Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of India’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been deeply entangled in a massive controversy as he was arrested and held accountable by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged liquor policy corruption. ED also addressed Kejriwal as the ‘kingpin’ and the ‘key conspirator’. It accused both Jitender and Kejriwal of as intermediaries between the ‘South group’ and other individuals involved in the case.
The ED made additions to the custody petition lasting for 10 days during the proceeding, spotlighting the amount of over ₹600 crore as proceeds from the scam. ‘South group’ allegedly paid Rs 100 crore, and arrested leader K. Kavitha from the BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) was part of it, according to the Enforcement Directorate. ED explained that it was on Kejriwal’s demand that the liquor sales be supervised, and therefore, ₹45 Cr was used to finance the Goa and Punjab election campaigns.
Kejriwal, the only sitting CM arrested so far, has vehemently rejected all charges, and his party strongly backs him. The AAP said that the party did not produce any evidence that the ED had misappropriated funds. Presented by senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, Kejriwal spent the night at a Gandhi Nagar guest house that ED’s office uses to accommodate the accused.
The bribery charges slapped on the Chief Minister have provoked wide scale protesters, respectively, about the timing and motive behind the case. However, it seems like the AAP party is still quite sure that Kejriwal will though, hold his office of the Chief Minister of Delhi, even if he has to come to the jail. Nevertheless, per the existing regulations, he could only meet this person two days in a week.
Meanwhile, constant talk about house arrest for Kejriwal as a substitute for a prison jump-in, but only if the Lieutenant Governor is willing to allow his house to be used as a jail. The arrest of two other prominent AAP leaders, namely the Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in connection with the same case causes legal hurdles and difficulties in seeking legal assistance for CM Kejriwal.
With the spotlight on the ongoing developments and the accusation levelled against Kejriwal followed by his arrest, the people now have reasons to worry and demand a full-fledged investigation into the alleged liquor policy scandal. At this point, a lot will depend on the strength of the AAP and the Chief Minister; the case will continue to unfold, testing the resilience of both the party and the Chief Minister himself as they continue to seek support from the public and credibility in the face of the serious accusations.
