ED has become a political weapon, says AAP; the noose is tightening around CM: BJP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of becoming a “political weapon” a day after the probe agency said the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha, along with others, had “conspired with the top leaders of AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia”, to get “favours in the Delhi excise policy formulation and implementation”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of becoming a “political weapon” a day after the probe agency said the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha, along with others, had “conspired with the top leaders of AAP, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia”, to get “favours in the Delhi excise policy formulation and implementation”.

The case pertains to allegations of irregularities in formulating and implementing the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.

Two senior AAP leaders — Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh — are in judicial custody in connection with the case.

On March 15, the ED arrested Ms. Kavitha in the same case, alleging that she played a “key role” in lobbying for a “south group” of liquor manufacturers to get licence in Delhi.

In a press statement on Monday, the agency said, “In exchange for these favours, she was involved in paying ₹100 crore to the leaders of AAP.”

‘They’re after the chief’

Attacking the ED, AAP said the ₹100-crore kickback claim had been dismissed by the Supreme Court last year while hearing Mr. Sisodia’s bail plea and that the agency aimed to stop Mr. Kejriwal, the party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister, from campaigning in the Lok Sabha election.