Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped the summons issued against him by the Enforcement Directorate seeking his presence on Wednesday in the excise policy case as the Aam Admi Party (AAP) said that it was illegal and meant to arrest him head of elections.

This is the third time Kejriwal refused to appear before the investigators who want to seek his statement in the liqourgate where the Delhi government has been accused of tailoring the policy for the benefit of a select few businessmen and for seeking bribes in lieu of that. Two earlier summons issued by the agency were for his appearance on November 2 and December 21, last year.

“Why has the notice been sent right before elections? The notice is an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning in elections,” the AAP alleged. The Delhi ruling party, however, clarified that Kejriwal was ready to cooperate with the agency but claimed that the summons was sent with the intention of arresting him.

The agency wants to seek his statement to know about charges that a ₹100 crore bribe collected from the liquor lobby was used to fund Goa elections, on the destruction of evidence in mobile phones used by him and his jailed former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, apart from other issues.

Delhi CM was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the case in April, but had not been made an accused by the agency. Manish Sisodia, and AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh wereare among the party officials arrested so far for their alleged role in the case.

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