ED being used as political tool by BJP to stop CM Kejriwal from campaigning in LS polls: AAP

New Delhi: Delhi ninister Atishi on Tuesday accused the ED of becoming a “political weapon” of the BJP-led Centre and claimed the agency’s assertion that BRS leader K Kavitha was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to AAP leaders for favours in the now-scrapped excise policy has been dismissed by the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference, she alleged the federal probe agency’s action was aimed at stopping Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls.

Kavitha, the MLC daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week from her Hyderabad home and she is in the federal probe agency’s custody till March 23.

In a statement on Monday, the ED claimed Kavitha along with others “conspired with the top leaders of AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, for getting favours in the Delhi excise policy formulation and implementation”.

“In exchange for these favours, she was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the leaders of AAP,” the agency said.

Dismissing the allegation, Atishi said, “ED is acting like a political party instead of a Central probe agency. It is also a big question as to why the ED is doing this under pressure. The ED has now become a political weapon of the BJP,” she alleged.

Atishi said the BJP fears only one opposition leader — Kejriwal.

In another press conference, her cabinet colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj echoed similar views and said Kejriwal posing questions to the BJP makes them uncomfortable.

Referring to an order issued by Justice Sanjeev Khanna of the Supreme Court on October 30, 2023, Bharadwaj said in this order, the judge clearly stated that the allegation of Rs 100 crore transaction by the ED is somewhat a matter of debate, and no evidence or facts have been presented by the federal agency in the court in this regard. “It is unfortunate that a probe agency, which should work independently for everyone, spent the entire day yesterday in the central government’s office constructing a negative narrative against political opponents and attempting to defame them,” he added.

Drawing an example from Putin’s recent victory in Russia, Bharadwaj mentioned that the Russian president received 87 per cent of the votes, and he portrayed his aggression against Ukraine as acceptable to the public based on this voting percentage.

He said, “However, the truth is that Putin has also eliminated all opposition leaders in his country. Putin has imprisoned his main opposition rival in Russia, who recently died in jail.

“Similarly, in North Korea, which is known worldwide as a totalitarian country, their president Kim Jong Un holds elections in his country and declares himself the winner after the elections. A similar situation is emerging in our country as well,” he charged.

The opposition leaders who pose a threat to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre are being

arrested and imprisoned, Bharadwaj alleged.