NEW DELHI: On Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Bhagwant Mann, Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and others, staged a protest outside the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office in Delhi as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was being questioned inside the building in connection with the liquor scam case.
Despite the imposition of Section 144, the AAP leaders sat outside the CBI headquarters, expressing their support for Kejriwal and slamming the CBI as a puppet of the central government. The Delhi Police had imposed Section 144 of the CrPC (Curfew) around the CBI headquarters, but the AAP leaders refused to leave until their leader was released.
Modi जी का भारत:
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 16, 2023
AAP MLA @GulabMatiala को खींचकर किया detain
AAP विधायक @KuldeepKumarAAP को सड़क पर घसीटकर Detain
AAP विधायक @rajeshgupta Detain
शांतिपूर्वक प्रदर्शन कर रहे निर्वाचित विधायकों के साथ जानवरों जैसा बर्ताव
याद रहे, समय बहुत बलवान है मोदी जी।#KejriwalRukegaNahi pic.twitter.com/nK3CuoXJPr
As the protest continued, a senior CBI official clarified that the agency was investigating the matter on its merits and that the accusations of being a puppet of the central government were baseless.
Kejriwal also spoke out against the CBI and the BJP, claiming that the central agency would arrest him if the BJP government gave the orders.
CBI द्वारा समन देने के बाद, @ArvindKejriwal जी के समर्थन में सड़क पर उतर रही Delhi की जनता!#KejriwalRukegaNahi pic.twitter.com/1cOwJUhA75
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 16, 2023
The liquor scam case relates to alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s liquor policy. The AAP has been at the forefront of exposing corruption in the Delhi government, and the party leaders’ protest outside the CBI office is a clear sign of their determination to fight against any attempts to malign their reputation or that of their leader.
The protest by the AAP leaders is just the latest in a long line of protests against the central government and its agencies. The party has been a vocal critic of the BJP and has accused the central government of trying to intimidate and harass the opposition. The ongoing investigation into the liquor scam case is just one example of the tensions between the AAP and the BJP-led central government.
Charges against Arvind Kejriwal
List of charges against Arvind Kejriwal:
-Delhi’s new liquor policy drafted at Kejriwal’s residence
-Delhi CM asked for traders’ commission to be hiked
-CM face-timed with scam accused on Nair’s home
-Accused Sanjay said that crores given on Kejriwal’s orders
CBI line of questioning for Arvind Kejriwal
Arvind Kejriwal has been taken to the first floor office of the Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI, which is probing the liquor policy case.
The CBI may ask the Kejriwal about the policy formulation process, especially the “untraceable” file, which was earlier slated to be put before the Council of Ministers.
The agency may also quiz Kejriwal on the statements of other accused, where they have indicated the manner in which policy was allegedly influenced to favour some liquor businessmen and the South liquor lobby.