Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who did not appear for the eighth Enforcement Directorate summons related to the excise policy case on Monday, has indicated his willingness to cooperate, PTI quoted government sources as saying. Sources further stated that Kejriwal is prepared to appear before the agency through video-conferencing after March 12. The Enforcement Directorate is currently reviewing Kejriwal's response to determine the appropriate course of action.
The Enforcement Directorate may not accommodate Kejriwal's request for a virtual appearance and could issue a ninth summons for questioning in the case, PTI quoted sources as saying. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the probe agency of attempting to arrest Kejriwal during the "midst of the Lok Sabha polls."
The Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule for the upcoming polls expected to be held in April-May. Kejriwal, asserting that the summonses are illegal, has refused to comply with the ED's requests, urging the agency to wait as the matter is currently under court consideration.
In his response to the ED, Kejriwal maintained that the summonses are "illegal." However, he expressed readiness to respond to the probe agency's questions. Additionally, he is scheduled to appear before a city court on March 16 in response to a complaint filed by the ED regarding his non-compliance with the summonses.
The AAP has insisted that Kejriwal should be interrogated by the ED via video-conferencing with live telecast. In contrast, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari criticized the chief minister, asserting that no additional concessions should be granted to him.
"What kind of a message is he (Kejriwal) giving to the children of Delhi? I believe that no further relaxation should be given to him. Now, he should be dealt with strictly," Tiwari told PTI.
Harish Khurana, spokesperson for the Delhi BJP, accused Kejriwal of showing disrespect to the law by avoiding the ED's summonses. Khurana remarked that Kejriwal's offer to appear virtually on March 12 could be implemented immediately if he truly intended to do so.
Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi Health Minister and AAP leader, responded to BJP ministers and spokespersons' claims that Kejriwal was evading questions. Bharadwaj clarified that the issue wasn't about the questions but the fear of arrest. Kejriwal has now proposed to answer questions via video-conferencing after the Budget session concludes, according to Bharadwaj.