Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, made a statement on Wednesday suggesting that the Enforcement Directorate would cease issuing summons to him if he were to align with the BJP. In a post on X, Kejriwal, who has chosen to forego eight summonses thus far, criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that opposition figures were being coerced into affiliating with the BJP.
Kejriwal's remarks followed the filing of a fresh complaint by the probe agency before a Delhi court, seeking his prosecution for evading its summons in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged liquor policy scandal.
According to a rough translation from Kejriwal's Hindi post, "Enforcement Directorate raids are conducted asking where will you go -- BJP or jail? Those who refuse to join the BJP are sent to jail."
He further remarked, "Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh will get bail tomorrow if they join the BJP today... Even I will stop receiving Enforcement Directorate summons if I join the BJP now."
The national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also noted the fluid nature of time, indicating that circumstances can change unexpectedly.
Previously, the Enforcement Directorate had petitioned a local court seeking Kejriwal's prosecution, as the Chief Minister failed to appear following the initial summonses issued in the money laundering case.
The latest complaint also relates to Kejriwal's failure to comply with the summonses.
Kejriwal had previously contested the legality of all Enforcement Directorate summonses, informing the agency that he could be interrogated via videoconferencing after March 12.
