Miffed with ED raids, Delhi CM Kejriwal says ‘don’t understand what liquor scam is’

After the Enforcement Directorate launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across India, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged because of government agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the ED.

“The CBI and the ED are “unnecessarily troubling everyone” and the country can’t progress like this,” he said .

Addressing a press conference, the chief minister said the Lieutenant Governor, the CBI and the BJP have quoted varying amounts of money involved in the alleged liquor scam but he doesn’t understand what it is really about.

His remarks came after the ED launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across the country as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

The raids are being conducted at premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi-NCR, official sources said.

“One of their (BJP) leaders says that it is a scam of Rs 8,000 crore, the LG says it is a scam of Rs 144 crore and the CBI FIR says there is a scam of Rs 1 crore. I don’t understand what the liquor scam is,” Kejriwal said.

The ED’s case stems from a CBI FIR in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and some bureaucrats have been named as accused.

The ED is probing if there were irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy and if any “proceeds of crime” in terms of tainted money were generated by the accused.

On August 19, the CBI had conducted raids at various places, including Sisodia’s residence here, in connection with the excise policy case.

Kejriwal alleged the BJP-ruled civic body plans to create 16 new landfill sites in Delhi and turn it into a city of garbage hills.

At present, three landfill sites — Ghazipur, Okhla and Bhalswa — are located at Delhi borders.

“People living in the vicinity of these landfill sites are affected by the foul smell emanating from these garbage mounds and a host of other issues. We have heard that there are plans to make 16 new garbage hills in the national capital,” the chief minister said.

On the other hand, he said, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is developing Delhi into a city of parks and lakes.

“If given a chance, we will beautify the national capital in a time-bound manner,” he added.

The AAP has launched a month-long campaign to highlight the failures of the BJP-ruled civic body. As part of the campaign, groups led by AAP MLAs tried to reach Ghazipur and Okhla landfill sites on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, but were stopped by police.

The BJP ruled the three erstwhile municipal corporations in Delhi and the AAP was the main opposition party till the terms of the civic bodies expired in May.

Elections to constitute a new civic body are yet to be held as an exercise for delimitation of municipal wards is underway.

With PTI inputs

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