"Arvind Kejriwal Speaking Gangster Atiq Ahmed's Language": Delhi BJP President

Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Virendra Sachdeva drew a comparison between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and murdered gangster Atiq Ahmed and said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader spoke a language similar to the latter.

Notably, Mr Kejriwal appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday for questioning in connection to the case pertaining to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Union Territory government.

Whereas gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother, Ashraf Ahmed, were killed while being taken for a medical examination in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Saturday night. Atiq was accused in the 2005 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder case and also in the Umesh Pal murder case which happened in February this year.

While talking to ANI, Delhi BJP chief Mr Sachdeva said, "Kejriwal today is speaking the same language as gangster Atiq, trying to avoid the questions of the investigating agencies by giving arguments like him. Why were Rs 144 crores waived off of the liquor mafia?"

"Why doesn't Vijay Nair talk on the issues of Sameer Mahendru? Why did Kejriwal hide the fact that Vijay Nair had made the government residence his home? Nair himself has said in his statement that he was called to Arvind Kejriwal's house and told that whatever changes have happened in the Excise Policy, only that has to be implemented," added the Delhi BJP chief.

The Delhi High Court on April 12 issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail plea of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in charge Vijay Nair in the money laundering case involving the Delhi Government's new excise policy (now scrapped).

In February, his bail was denied by the trial Court along with others. While rejecting the bail plea, the Rouse Avenue Court observed that none of the applicants/accused deserved to be released on bail in this case at this stage of proceedings as the allegations made against them were quite serious and related to the commission of an economic offence of money-laundering defined by Section 3 and made punishable by Section 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Hence, their bail applications were dismissed.

The ED in its second chargesheet in the liquor policy case had named Vijay Nair, Sharath Reddy, Binoy Babu, Abhishek Boinpally, Amit Arora, and seven companies.

Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was also arrested by the CBI and ED in a case of alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government.

Mr Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, and by ED on March 9, 2023.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kejriwal on Saturday said, "If Arvind Kejriwal is corrupt then there is no one in this world who is honest," a day after CBI summoned him for questioning in connection with the excise policy case.

Addressing a press conference, he had said, "Tomorrow, they (CBI) have called me and I will definitely go. If Arvind Kejriwal is corrupt, then there is no one in this world who is honest... If BJP has ordered CBI to arrest me, then CBI will obviously follow their instructions."

Later, taking to Twitter, Mr Kejriwal said appropriate cases will be filed against Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate officials for "perjury and producing false evidence in courts.

"We will file appropriate cases against CBI and ED officials for perjury and producing false evidence in courts," he tweeted.

Arvind Kejriwal also claimed that he knew he would be next in line to be summoned by the CBI since the day he spoke against corruption in the Delhi assembly.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)