When Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appears before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday, he will be accompanied to the probe agency’s office by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, Aam Aadmi Party MPs and Delhi Ministers, an AAP spokesperson said.
On Friday, Mr. Kejriwal was summoned by the CBI for questioning on April 16 in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Delhi excise policy case. His former deputy Manish Sisodia, who is an accused in the case, is already behind bars since his arrest on February 26 over alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy of Delhi.
‘Standing like a rock’
After the CBI summons on Friday, Mr. Mann had said that it was very difficult to suppress Mr. Kejriwal’s voice. “We are standing with him like a rock,” he had said.
“It is very difficult to suppress the voice of Arvind Kejriwal ji. Those who speak the truth make place in the people’s hearts. No one can erase anyone from the hearts of the people,” Mr. Mann had tweeted in Hindi.
Extending solidarity, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, too, had telephoned Mr. Kejriwal on Friday evening. Mr. Kharge also stressed the need for Opposition parties to unite against the BJP ahead of the 2024 general elections, sources said.
Following the recent developments, AAP accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of hatching a conspiracy to topple AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab by planning to arrest party’s national convenor, Mr. Kejriwal.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said previous attempts to overthrow the AAP governments have failed and now the BJP is resorting to creating fake stories to fulfil their dream of toppling the Delhi government.
AAP chief spokesperson and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the BJP has been misusing central agencies to arrest AAP leaders and is now preparing to arrest the Chief Minister.
Security measures
Anticipating a large number of AAP workers to hit the streets on Sunday, Delhi Police said at least 1,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, will be deployed near the CBI headquarters at Lodhi Road and other parts of the city.
Security will also be tightened outside the AAP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, the police said.
A senior police officer told The Hindu, “Given that the CM will arrive at the CBI headquarters, we are expecting a large number of AAP workers to gather around. We will make proper arrangements, including barricading to avoid any untoward situation.”
“Section 144 of the CrPC will also be imposed around the CBI headquarters,” another officer said.
Published - April 16, 2023 01:39 am IST
