May 24, 2024 07:08 PM IST
On being asked about Kejriwal’s claim that probe agencies haven’t found any money in the liquor scam, PM Modi had called the Delhi CM an ‘experienced thief’.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘experienced thief dig’, saying that it is an indication that the latter has accepted that the excise policy case is wrong and urged everyone arrested in the matter to be released.
Kejriwal was referring to the prime minister’s interview with a television channel in which he took a veiled dig at the Delhi chief minister, saying that an “experienced thief has many conveniences.” Follow full coverage of the Lok Sabha elections today.
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When asked about Kejriwal’s claim that central probe agencies had found even a penny in the liquor scam case and had fabricated a false case, the prime minister said: “An experienced thief has many conveniences. A former government official who knows how ED and CBI will progress in a case can cover up a lot.”
On Friday, Kejriwal, in a video message, said that the BJP has been screaming that there has been a scam to the tune of ₹100 crore, but no money has been recovered yet.
“They are screaming for two years that there is a liquor scam claiming it was to the tune of ₹100 crore, but not even a penny has been recovered,” Kejriwal said, who is out on interim bail till June 1 in the case.
“Yesterday, the PM was asked in an interview that Kejriwal was saying that no evidence has been found in the case. The PM said no money was found because Kejriwal is an experienced thief. He accepted that no recovery was made,” he added.
Also Read | ‘BJP connected to South Group’: AAP’s next big allegation in Delhi excise policy case
“To hide it, he said Kejriwal is an ‘anubhavi chor’ (experienced thief). This is just an excuse to prove the wrong arrests right. When you have accepted that excise scam is wrong, please release those who have been arrested,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener said further.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva responded to Kejriwal’s remarks, saying that he has himself accepted that he is an ‘experienced thief’
“Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has himself accepted that he is an ‘experienced thief’. The case of Delhi liquor scam is sub judice, and Arvind Kejriwal himself is out on bail, and his friends are in jail for a long time now,” Sachdeva told PTI.
“If the investigating agencies have no proof against them, how are they in jail? I believe the people who have looted Delhi will be found guilty in the scam case and strict action will be taken against them,” he added.
Delhi excise policy scam
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case. He was in judicial custody until he was given interim bail on May 10 for the election campaign, and has been ordered to return to custody on June 2.
Also Read | ED names AAP, Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy scam charge sheet
The money laundering case stems from an investigation initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy, which aimed to revitalise the city’s liquor business by replacing a sales volume-based regime with a license fee for traders and promising a better customer experience.
The policy was scrapped prematurely following a probe recommended by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, with AAP alleging that Saxena’s predecessor sabotaged the move with last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.
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