Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday staged a protest outside the Aam Aadmi Party’s office in Delhi and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
The protest comes after the Enforcement Directorate has mentioned Kejriwal in its chargesheet in the alleged excise policy scam.
The agency has claimed that Kejriwal spoke to one of the main accused persons in the case, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with another co-accused Vijay Nair, according to The Indian Express. Kejriwal has dismissed the allegations as fake.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the money laundering aspect of the case and has alleged that the policy, which has now been put on hold, caused a loss of Rs 2,873 crore to the government exchequer.
On August 17, the Central Bureau of Investigation had booked Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 14 other persons on charges of irregularities in a new liquor policy, which was part of the excise regulations.
Under the policy, which was implemented in Delhi on November 17, 2021, licences of 849 liquor shops were issued to private firms through open bidding. However, on July 30, the Delhi government withdrew the policy after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended an inquiry into it by the central agency.
On September 1, Delhi reverted to its old liquor policy, under which only state-run stores are allowed to operate.
On Saturday, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that Kejriwal should resign from his post on moral grounds.
“The BJP will keep on exposing the corruption of the Kejriwal government which is weakening Delhi like a termite,” Sachdeva said, according to PTI. “If he has any morality left in him, Kejriwal should resign now.”
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said that 10 workers of the saffron party were detained briefly from the protest site.
“Around 200 people were present at the protest and were asked by the police to leave the area,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Shweta Chauhan said, according to The Indian Express. “Those detained were taken to IP Estate Police Station and have now been released.”
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