"Central agencies are lying to courts against us in the liquor policy probe. Arrested people are being tortured, pressure is being created on them to nail us"
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the AAP has emerged as a ray of hope for the country and that is the reason why efforts are being made to trample it. In his first reaction after being served a notice by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appear before it in connection with the excise policy case, Kejriwal said he will appear before the agency on Sunday. Addressing a press conference here, he said no other party has been targeted in the last 75 years as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). "... That is because the AAP has given hope to people that it would eradicate poverty and make them educated. They want to trample this hope by targeting us," he said. The AAP supremo underlined that the excise policy, which is the centre of attention, is an excellent policy and is doing well in Punjab where the party is in power. Accusing the CBI and the ED of filing false affidavits, he said they are alleging that his former deputy Manish Sisodia destroyed 14 phones, but t
The BJP on Saturday claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was trembling in fear following the CBI summon to him in the excise policy case, and said he should take a lie detector test if he had nothing to be afraid of. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia also slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for attacking the central government over the summons and said it was not the time for rhetoric but accountability. Noting Kejriwal's past attacks on politicians cutting across parties over the issue of corruption, Bhatia said the AAP supremo should submit himself for the lie detector test to make things clear. He alleged that Kejriwal is the "kingpin" in the 'liquor scam' case in which the latter's confidant and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia is behind the bars. Bhatia asked Kejriwal several questions and wondered if he was not accountable for the proceedings of the February, 2021 meeting of the Delhi Cabinet in which the scam
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday hit out at the BJP over the CBI summoning Delhi Chief Minister Arvind, alleging that the ruling party wants to establish an "Opposition-free India" and is seeking to "malign" the image of leaders who stand up against it. Sibal urged all Opposition parties to speak up in one voice against this "misuse" of probe agencies and asserted that it will be difficult to take on the BJP until all such parties stand together. "They (the BJP) want an Opposition-free India and are targeting all Opposition leaders. We've seen how they have targeted Opposition chief ministers of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and other leaders," he said in a statement. Sibal also alleged that the BJP has misused provisions of the Tenth Schedule to topple elected governments. The BJP wants to "malign" the image of Opposition leaders and is "misusing" the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate for it, he alleged. That is why the ruling party knows how many seats they will get in
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday hit out at the BJP-led Centre over the CBI summoning Delhi Chief Minister Arvind, alleging that "persecution" was on course. The CBI on Friday summoned Kejriwal to appear before it on April 16 in connection with the excise policy scam case in which his former deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested last month. Reacting to the development, Sibal said on Twitter, "CBI summons Kejriwal, BJP says: Law on course. My take: Persecution on course!" Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2, quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support. He recently floated the non-electoral platform 'Insaaf', aimed at fighting injustice. According to the notice issued by the CBI, Kejriwal has been called to appear at the agency headquarters at 11 am on Sunday to answer queries of the investigating team as a witness in the case, officials said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called it
AAP senior leader and Delhi Cabinet minister Atishi on Saturday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the only leader raising voice against corruption, which is why efforts are being made to stifle his voice. Addressing a press conference here, she said several cases have been slapped against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, but investigating agencies have not been able to prove corruption against them. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned Kejriwal on Sunday for questioning in the excise policy case. "Have the agencies found black money during their raids at his residence or anyone else? No. Kejriwal is the only leader talking about the issue of corruption. They want to stifle his voice. But they won't be able to do so," she said.
The CBI has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy scam case on April 16, officials said on Friday. Kejriwal has been asked to be present at the agency headquarters at 11 AM to answer queries of the investigating team, they said. The central probe agency has already arrested former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the case. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP. The policy was later scrapped. "It was further alleged that irregularities were committed, including modifications in Excise Policy, extending undue favours to the licensees, waiver/reduction in licence fee, the extension of L-1 license without approval etc. "It was also alleged that illegal gains on the count of these acts were diverted to concerned public servants by private parties by
The AAP on Friday alleged that the CBI summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as he spoke about the Adani issue and asserted that such notices will not deter their fight against corruption. Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the CBI summon was a conspiracy to arrest CM Kejriwal. The CBI has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy scam case on April 16, officials said on Friday. Kejriwal has been asked to be present at the agency headquarters at 11 AM to answer queries of the investigating team, they said. "Delhi chief minister had spoken about the Adani issue in Delhi Vidhan Sabha. That same day, I had told him that you will be next. Narendra Modi-led Centre is corrupt from head to toe and Kejriwal's fight against corruption won't stop due to such notices," Singh said. The senior leader said Kejriwal will appear before CBI on April 16. "This notice is a conspiracy to arrest CM Kejriwal. This notice
It is very difficult to suppress Arvind Kejriwal's voice, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday hours after the CBI summoned the Delhi chief minister on April 16 in connection with the excise policy scam case. While Punjab Minister Harjot Singh Bains described Arvind Kejriwal as a "revolution India is witnessing", many other AAP senior leaders from the state including Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Delhi chief minister "cannot be silenced by such tactics". "It is very difficult to suppress the voice of Arvind Kejriwal. Those who speak the truth get a place in the people's hearts. No one can remove anyone from the hearts of the people. We stand by him like a rock," Mann tweeted in Hindi. In a tweet, Bains said, "The history is testament to the fact that whenever a revolution was suppressed, they became even bigger." According to the notice issued by the CBI, Kejriwal has been called to appear at the agency headquarters at 11 AM on Sunday to answer queries
Lt Governor V K Saxena has approved the extension of power subsidy in Delhi, a move that came amid a row between the LG office and the AAP government after Power Minister Atishi said the scheme would end from Friday as the file to extend the subsidy was held back by Saxena. In the ensuing blame game, the Lt Governor office said the file of power subsidy was received from the government as late as April 11 and it was dispatched back on Friday morning. The file was signed yesterday and sent to CM today, before a press conference by Atishi. They are trying to save face, having obviously been caught on a very very embarrassing and wrong foot," said an officer at the LG office. A Delhi government functionary admitted the file to extend the power subsidy in the city was signed by the LG. The file of subsidy was held back by the LG and a press conference was held by the Power minister in this issue, he said. Atishi in a media briefing earlier in the day said power subsidy of 46 lakh ...
Reacting over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday, lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led centre
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said some "anti-national" people in the country sent Manish Sisodia to jail because they do not want quality education for Dalit and underprivileged children. Kejriwal also said he holds B R Ambedkar in higher regard than Mahatma Gandhi because of his unshakable resolve in the face of adversities in pursuit of education. Addressing an event to mark Ambedkar Jayanti here, Kejriwal said Ambedkar dreamt of quality education for all in government schools, but "these people ruined government schools in the last 75 years and private schools mushroomed in the country". "God sent a man named Manish Sisodia to correct this wrong. He would go on a round of Delhi schools starting at 6 am. He turned things around within five years. We can say Amdekar's dream is being realized in Delhi. "But some anti-national powers don't want the country to progress. Who are these people who do not want Dalit students to get good education. All these people toget
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Friday accused the Enforcement Directorate of "lying" before the court and claimed that no mobile phones were destroyed by former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. In March, the ED had claimed before a Delhi court that Sisodia was involved in "large scale destruction of digital evidence to impede investigation" into the Delhi excise policy case and had changed and destroyed 14 phones. Sisodia was arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise case. "The Enforcement Directorate has been lying before the court all this while. They said 14 mobile phones were destroyed by Sisodia but the reality is, no mobile phones were destroyed by the former deputy chief minister. "In fact, five out of those 14 phone are in ED and CBI custody," the senior AAP leader said. "According to an ED report, all the phones are functioning and five out of those 14 phones have already been seized by the ED and CBI," AAP's Rajya Sabha member claimed. La
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said good education for children can create an impact that can help alleviate poverty. Addressing a gathering at a function at the Civic Centre -- the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters -- here on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, he said teachers, sanitation workers and other employees will "work magic" in the next couple of years to improve the system like their counterparts in the Delhi government have done in the past few years. The AAP governs both the Delhi government and the MCD. In his address, he extolled Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, for laying out a vision for equality and egalitarianism in society and hailed his pursuit of higher education during the British era when not many Indians thought about getting degrees from institutions such as the Columbia University and the London School of Economics. Ambedkar knew the value of education and its role in lifting society from poverty an
Delhi Power Minister Atishi said power subsidy to nearly 46 lakh people in the city will cease from Friday onwards as Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena is yet to clear the file to extend the subsidy to consumers. In what could emerge as the latest flashpoint between the city government and the Lt Governor office, the minister said she has sought a meeting with Saxena over the issue but there has been no response. The subsidy we give to 46 lakh people will stop from today. From Monday onwards, people will get inflated bills without subsidy," she said in a press conference here. The minister said the Delhi Cabinet has approved the extension of power subsidy for the year 2023-24 but the file is still pending in the LG office. Till the file is approved we can't give subsidy. I even sought time from the LG office to discuss the matter but it's been more than 24 hours and I have not been given time. The file has also not come back yet," she alleged. Atishi said that the file was sent a few
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused the Enforcement Directorate of ''misleading'' the court with false evidence in the excise policy case. He was talking to reporters after attending the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations at the Delhi Assembly. The ED is taking false statements by torturing people and pressuring them. Even in the case of Sanjay Singh, it has come to the fore that the accused gave a different statement and the ED has written something else in the charge sheet," Kejriwal said, replying to a question about the ED's charge that his former deputy Manish Sisodia destroyed his mobile phones. The chief minister said that the ED has claimed that Sisodia has broken his phones but many of those phones are in agency's custody. The ED is misleading the court with false evidence, torturing people, taking false statements. There is nothing in this whole matter, the whole matter is fabricated and is based on false evidence. This is not a good thing," he said. Kejriw
The hospitalisation rate due to COVID-19 remains low in the national capital despite a recent spurt in cases, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday. Delhi recorded 1,527 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 27.77 on Thursday, according to data shared by the city government's Health department. Only 231 of the 7,945 beds in the city's dedicated Covid hospitals are occupied, it said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Ambedkar Jayanti event at the Vidhan Sabha, Kejriwal said, "We are taking care of the increasing number of corona cases. The cases are not serious and people are not requiring hospitalisation. "If needed, then appropriate steps will be taken.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he will definitely go to Goa to appear before the police in connection with a case related to the illegal sticking of posters on public properties during the 2022 assembly election campaign. Asked about the Goa Police's notice, Kejriwal said, "I will go. I will definitely go." The Goa Police on Thursday issued a notice to Kejriwal and asked him to appear before it on April 27. Inspector Dilipkumar Halarnkar of Pernem police station issued the notice to the AAP national convenor under Section 41 (A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Section 41 (A) of the CrPC allows the police to issue summonses to a person for inquiry if there is a "reasonable" complaint or suspicion that he has committed an offence. The AAP won two seats in the 2022 assembly election in the BJP-governed state.
The BJP on Thursday called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the "Natwarlal of Indian politics" and said he has given the biggest example of "political conversion" by deciding to ally with the coalition of corrupts. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said he can understand the "political helplessness" of Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar to forge an alliance with the Congress and the RJD, but he failed to understand why Kejriwal, a "political pinocchio", decided to make a U-turn on corruption. On Wednesday, Kejriwal met Kumar and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav at his residence in New Delhi. The meeting came hours after the Bihar leaders met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi as part of Kumar's initiative to forge an alliance of opposition parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "We understand Nitish ji's political helplessness. But what is the political compulsion and helplessness of Arvind Kejriwal, who was born to fight against ...
The Principal District and Sessions Judge of Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday sought a response of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a plea moved by Satyendar Jain in seeking the transfer of case