The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of targeting its leaders with fabricated stories about the Delhi liquor policy case, reported The Times of India.
In a statement, the Aam Aadmi Party said that a special court, while granting bail to Kejriwal in a money-laundering case linked to the liquor policy, said that the Enforcement Directorate was “not acting without bias”.
The court also said that the law enforcement agency had failed to produce evidence to support its case.
“BJP, through its agencies, continues to concoct unsubstantiated stories without any evidence,” Kejriwal’s party alleged. “It has been over two years of hounding of AAP leaders but not a penny has been recovered to date.”
“The lead PMLA [Prevention of Money Laundering Act] court clearly stated that no evidence has been found in the alleged liquor scam and subsequently granted bail to CM Kejriwal,” the party said.
On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation claimed to a Delhi court that Kejriwal had promised Rs 90 lakh to 40 of his party’s candidates who contested the 2021 Goa assembly elections, reported The Indian Express.
The central agency alleged that the funds would have come from “bribe money” that the party received from a “South Group” in exchange for favours while drafting the now-scrapped excise policy.
“Kejriwal was in touch with the South Group,” said Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh, representing the bureau. “The entire money was diverted to AAP for Goa elections. Rs 90 lakh was to be given to each candidate.”
“All these arguments have already been adjudicated and fallen flat in the ED case,” Kejriwal’s party responded. “[The] BJP’s sole attempt is to manage headlines, without any substance or evidence, with the objective to defame AAP but the people of Delhi have seen through the nefarious designs. All corrupt politicians of the country have joined BJP and security deposits of all of them will be forfeited in the upcoming elections.”
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the Aam Aadmi Party’s leaders were suffering from a “phobia” of investigating agencies, which is why they continuously accused them of acting on behalf of the BJP.
“The problem with AAP leaders is they feel they are above any allegation, investigation and judicial review,” Kapoor said. “They hail the judiciary and investigation agencies when a decision favours them but cast aspersions when there is an order against them. People of Delhi have no trust left in AAP leadership and will reject them in the Delhi assembly elections.”
The Central Bureau of Investigation is investigating corruption allegations in the Delhi liquor policy case, while the Enforcement Directorate is investigating money-laundering allegations linked to the policy.
The two central agencies have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy by increasing the commission for wholesalers from 5% to 12%. This allegedly facilitated the receipt of bribes from wholesalers with a substantial market share and turnover.