In the heart of New Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister, chose to forego the summons from the ED on Monday, pertaining to a money laundering affair entwined with purported irregularities within the Delhi Jal Board. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vehemently labeled these summons as “illicit,” casting blame upon the BJP-led central administration for wielding the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a tool against Kejriwal.

Kejriwal found himself summoned by the ED for interrogation on Monday the 18th, embroiled in a money laundering investigation concerning purported irregularities within the Delhi Jal Board. This marks the second instance wherein the 55-year-old political figure, who also serves as the AAP national convenor, has been called in under the anti-money laundering statute.

Already grappling with summons in connection to the Delhi excise policy-related money laundering inquiry, Kejriwal has elected to sidestep eight previous summonses, denouncing them as unlawful. A recent, ninth summons in the excise policy case mandates his presence before an ED interrogator on March 21.

In a statement on Sunday, Atishi, a senior AAP Leader and Delhi minister, asserted that the Enforcement Directorate dispatched a fresh set of summonses to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, pertaining to a “fictitious” case associated with the Delhi Jal Board. “The nature of this DJB (Delhi Jal Board) case remains shrouded in mystery. It appears to be a contingency ploy to apprehend Kejriwal by any means necessary and impede his participation in the Lok Sabha elections,” she remarked.

Atishi noted the receipt of two summonses, demanding Kejriwal’s appearance before the federal agency in the upcoming week, mere hours after the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule on Saturday. She elaborated that one pertains to the excise policy case, while the other concerns the DJB, emphasizing that the BJP is leveraging the ED and CBI as its “henchmen” to eliminate political adversaries. The ED and CBI refrained from immediate comment in response.