Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: Kailash Gahlot's summons by ED comes a week after Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the central agency (File)Arvind Kejriwal arrest highlights: Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot, who was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday, asserted that there was no “scam” and that it would become clearer with time. He was speaking to mediapersons after being questioned for nearly five hours by the ED which had arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in connection to the excise policy case. Gahlot said that he has told the agency that he had no information about AAP’s activities in Goa and that he had no knowledge of Vijay Nair, the communications in-charge of AAP arrested earlier, living in the government bungalow allotted to him.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Minister Atishi responded to the summons for Gahlot and said, “Whether it is the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh â the alleged investigation is to attack the AAP, Arvind Kejriwal, to topple the AAP governmentâŚtoday they have called Kailash Gahlot, tomorrow it can be me, then Saurabh Bharadwaj, then each AAP MLA and leader. This is the BJPâs conspiracy.” Atishi further said, “One by one, each AAP leader will be summoned, charge-sheeted and arrested; but I want to tell the BJP that we are not afraid of it, even if it comes to being hanged, we will continue to work for the nation.”
Ahead of Sunday’s mega rally being organised in protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party leaders have been going door to door in the national capital seeking support for the agitation. AAP’s Delhi convenor Gopal Rai has appealed people to gather at Ramlila Maida on March 31.
AAP MLAs wearing Arvind Kejriwal's cutout protest at the Delhi assembly in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)
Akhilesh Yadav and Mehbooba Mufti will also be part of INDIA bloc rally tomorrow
Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav and Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP will also be present at the INDIA bloc's 'Maharally' at Ramlil Maidan tomorrow.
Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and Tejashwi Yadav will attend the rally at the Ramleela ground on March 31. It is being held in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.
AAP expects over one lakh people from Punjab to participate in Delhi rally
The AAP is expecting more than one lakh people from Punjab to participate in the INDIA bloc's rally in Delhi on Sunday, said a senior party leader on Saturday.
The opposition INDIA bloc will hold a 'Maharally' at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to "safeguard" the country's interests and democracy, the Aam Aadmi Party had earlier said.
Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren meeets jailed Delhi CM's wife Sunita Kejriwal in Delhi
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren met jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal at Delhi Chief Minister's residence on 6 Flagstaff Road. The meeting between the two lasted for 15-20 minutes, officials said.
Hemant Soren is behind bars after his arrest in January by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam in Jharkhand.
'Never been part of Goa election campaign,' says Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot after ED questioning
After questioning by the ED in the money laundering case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy, Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot says, "Whatever questions were asked to me, I answered all of them... The government bungalow was allotted to me in Civil Lines, but I have always stayed in my private residence in Vasant Kunj because my wife and kids didn't want to move from there. Vijay Nair was living in the bungalow allotted to me... No cross-questioning was conducted... I appeared on my second summons. The first summons was issued one month ago during assembly proceedings. I had sought some time... I have never been part of the Goa election campaign and I am unaware of what happened..."
Delhi Police issues traffic advisory for Sunday' INDIA Bloc rally
The Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory in view of the opposition INDIA bloc's 'Loktantra Bachao Rally' on Sunday and said that movement of vehicles in the city would be regulated for six hours on that day.
Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav will attend the rally at the Ramleela ground on March 31. It is being held in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.
Political Pulse | Kejriwalâs uncle steadfast by his side, but in Delhi CMâs ancestral village some remain sceptical
“He was an honest man and rose to power due to his principles. Now he is in jail, as are Sisodia and Sanjay (Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh). They spoke against Narendra Modi and they arrested him,” says the 70-year-old, who is one of the three brothers of the Delhi Chief Minister’s father Gobind Ram. He lives with family in Gurgaon now and travels to Siwani in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, 170 km from the national capital, by bus every month to check on his house and ancestral land.
Kejriwal, Bansal says, was born in the village on August 16, 1968, but left at an early age for schooling in Hisar. “He would come often, but after assuming the post of the CM, the visits also dropped. Three years ago, he visited Siwani for an event at the local temple,” he says.
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Modiji wants to come first in the race by competing alone: AAP chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, AAP chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar says: "Modiji wants to come first in the race by competing alone and that is why he is sending all the strong voices of the opposition to jail."
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: 'BJP will garner votes for someone who is key witness against Kejriwal', says Saurabh Bharadwaj
Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told media about Magunta Reddy getting BJP ticket. Reddy's son had turned approver against Kejriwal in the excise policy case. Bharadwaj said, “We told you about Sharat Reddy’s relation with BJP. He donated money to the BJP after being arrested in a money laundering case. Today, we are talking about ex-YSRCP MP Magunta Reddy and his son Raghav Manguta Reddy. Yesterday, the NDA member TDP nominated him (Magunta Reddy) as its candidate for Lok Sabha elections. This means PM Modi and the entire BJP will now garner votes for someone who is the key witness against (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal.”
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates:'No difference between Central govt & British rule', Delhi Congress chief says ahead of mega rally
On the INDIA bloc's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan tomorrow, Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely says, "The problem with the BJP is that they speak everything by keeping their agenda at the centre... They have frozen the accounts of the country's biggest Opposition party. They want to engage us with notices before the elections. Sitting CMs like Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal are arrested... The name of this rally is 'Loktantar Bachao' (save the Constitution)... What is the meaning of elections and democracy if the Opposition parties are constantly attacked... There is no difference between the current government and the British Rule... Getting an ED notice is not news. The day any notice from ED is not received, that is news..."
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Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: 'We are not afraid', Atishi tells BJP
Delhi Minister Atishi said, "One by one, each AAP leader will be summoned, charge sheeted and arrested; but I want to tell the BJP that we are not afraid of it, even if it comes to being hanged, we will continue to work for the nation. "
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: 'Today they have called Kailash Gahlot, tomorrow it can be me', says Atishi after ED summons Delhi Minister
'Whether it is the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh — this alleged investigation is to attack the AAP, Arvind Kejriwal, to topple the AAP government…today they have called Kailash Gahlot, tomorrow it can be me, then Saurabh Bharadwaj then each AAP MLA and leader. This is the BJP’s conspiracy, " Delhi Minister Atishi said.
 Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot reaches ED office for interrogation
Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot has reached ED office for interrogation in excise policy case.
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: 140 page chargesheet filed in Delhi Jal Board corruption case
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 18 skipped the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Jal Board.
According to ED officials, the DJB probe was related to money laundering charges in a July 2022 case where the board allegedly gave “undue advantages” to a company for the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of electro-magnetic flow metres in connivance with officials of the NBCC (lndia) Limited. The project was valued at a little less than Rs 40 crore, the agency had said earlier.
ED had arrested Jagdish Kumar Arora and Anil Kumar Aggarwal on January 31 in connection with money laundering investigations initiated under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 in the Delhi Jal Board Corruption Case.
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: Magunta Reddy, whose son turned approver in excise case against Kejriwal, gets ticket from BJP ally TDP
Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, whose son Raghava Magunta Reddy is an accused-turned-approver in the Delhi excise policy case that has led to the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Friday got a Lok Sabha ticket from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key BJP ally in Andhra Pradesh.
As reported by The Indian Express, ever since the father-son duo switched from the YSR Congress Party to the TDP on February 28, they have been busy campaigning. And though Srinivasulu — a four-time MP from Ongole — wanted his son to get the ticket this time, sources said the excise case shadow over the latter prompted the TDP decision.
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Kailash Gahlot summoned by ED for questioning in excise policy case
Kailash Gahlot, Delhi Minister for transport, home and law, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday for interrogation in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy case, official sources told PTI.
Gahlot, 49, an AAP MLA from Najafgarh, has been asked to appear for questioning in the case and getting his statement recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested by the ED in the case earlier and they are in judicial custody
Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot summoned by ED in excise policy case
ED summons Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot for questioning on Saturday in excise policy-linked money-laundering case: Officials.
PTI
Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates: If you believe in Kejriwalâs work, gather at Ramlila Maidan on March 31
“Kejriwal has always been there for us, now it’s our time to stand with him,” said Karol Bagh resident Narendra Kumar Atal as the Aam Aadmi Party went door to door in the constituency seeking support for Sunday’s mega rally being organised in protest against the arrest of the Chief Minister in the excise policy case.
“Why arrest (him) now, right before the election? Where were the PM, ED and CBI in the last five years?… The timing itself makes the whole case suspicious,” added Atal.
Heading the campaign was the party’s Delhi convenor Gopal Rai. “Starting today, we are inviting everyone in Delhi and appealing to them to gather at Ramlila Maidan on March 31, if they believe in Arvind Kejriwal’s work… if they believe the ED’s action was based on revenge,” he said.
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Reactions from the entire country came after the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal: Gopal Rai
Delhi Minister Gopal Rai says, "Reactions from the entire country came after the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal. The main leaders of the INDIA alliance will join the rally on March 31 in Ramlila Maidan. Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, Bhagwant Mann, Champai Soren, Tejashwi Yadav, Sitaram Yechury... have been confirmed to join the rally..."
'ED wants AAP's LS poll strategy details from Kejriwal's phone,' claims Atishi
The ED is working as BJP's political weapon and it wants to get details of AAP's Lok Sabha election strategy by accessing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's phone, senior AAP leader Atishi alleged on Friday.
Govt wants to weaken opposition, democracy: MP Cong chief on Kejriwal arrest
"Kejriwal's arrest is an attempt to weaken the opposition and wipe out the democratic system in the country. While Kejriwal was arrested, they have spared others who joined hands with the BJP. Of the 154 persons against whom there were ED and CBI probes, 121 joined the BJP and investigation stopped. But propaganda against opposition leaders (on such probes) continues," Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari has said.
Sunita Kejriwal to address the 'Maharally'? Call yet to be taken, says AAP leader Gopal Rai
The call on whether Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal will address the 'Maharally' will be taken later, says AAP leader Gopal Rai.
Top INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav will be in attendance
Sharad Pawar on 'outsiders' commenting on Arvind Kejriwal arrest
Veteran politician Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP (SP), claimed on Friday that the media across the world has taken note of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.
“It is not good that outsiders are criticising our government. But such a situation was created by the government (itself),” he said in a press conference in Maharashtra's Satara.
INDIA bloc rally on March 31: Delhi Police grant permission
The Delhi Police has granted permission for the INDIA bloc rally to be held at Ramlil Maidan on March 31.
Opposition leaders from across the board including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav, JMM’s Champai Soren, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana, Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray are to be part of the rally.
Who all are going to be present for the March 31 rally at Ramlila Maidan? Here's the full list
Opposition leaders from across the board are expected to be part of INDIA alliance rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on March 31:
Mallikarjun Kharge
Rahul Gandhi
Trichy Shiva
Derek O'Brian
Tejaswi Yadav
Sharad Pawar
Uddhav Thackeray
Sitaram Yechury
D Raja
Farooq Abdullah
Dipankar Bhattarcharya
Champai Soren
G Devaraja
Kalpana Soren
Hear about the 'Kejriwal ko Ashirwad' campaign from Sunita Kejriwal
Union minister Hardeep Puri: 'Sunita Kejriwal preparing to hold the post like Rabri Devi'
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday compared Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife to former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, and said she is perhaps preparing to hold the post of her husband. "The madam you are naming is perhaps preparing to hold the post like Rabri Devi did in Bihar," he said at the inauguration of the Delhi BJP's election office.
Wife Sunita announces âKejriwal ko Aashirwadâ campaign, seeks support for Delhi CM
Terming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal “a true patriot” and likening his position to that of the nation’s freedom fighters confronting oppression from the British, his wife Sunita on Friday issued an appeal seeking public support for him.
In a video message – her third over the last week since Kejriwal has been in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody – Sunita said the ‘Kejriwal ko Aashirwad’ campaign was being launched to generate and collect public support for him.
“Whatever he told the court yesterday, takes a lot of courage…freedom fighters used to confront the British like this. He is a true patriot…Arvind Kejriwal has challenged the most corrupt and tyrannical powers in the country…will you not support him in his fight?” Sunita asked.
“I’m giving you a WhatsApp number: 8297324624; we are starting a campaign today, ‘Kejriwal ko Aashirwad’, you can send your messages of support, anything you want to tell him on this number…every one of your messages will reach him…I will deliver these to him in jail,” she added.
Sunita Kejriwal urges people to send âmessages of supportâ to Delhi CM, says will deliver them to him âin jailâ
Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal shared a video message on Friday, urging people to reach out to the Delhi Chief Minister via a phone number she shared. “I will deliver your messages to him in jail”, she said. She added, “Every one of your messages will reach him…I will deliver these to him in jail,” she added.
ED wants AAP's LS poll strategy details from Kejriwal's phone: Atishi
The Enforcement Directorate is working as BJP's political weapon and it wants to get details of AAP's Lok Sabha election strategy by accessing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's phone, senior AAP leader Atishi alleged on Friday.
The insistence of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to look into Kejriwal's mobile-phone, which is a few months old and did not exist when the policy was formed and implemented, proves that the agency is working as a "political weapon" of the BJP, Atishi alleged at a press conference here.
The AAP leader, who is a minister in the Kejriwal government, said that "actually it is the BJP and not the ED that wants to know what is there on Kejriwal's phone". The excise policy was implemented in 2021-22 and the chief minister's current phone is just a few months old, she claimed.
The ED has said that Kejriwal's phone of that period is not available, and now, it wants the password of his new phone, Atishi said.
"They want it because they will find in it details of AAP's Lok Sabha poll strategy, campaign plans, talks with INDIA bloc leaders and information regarding media and social media strategy," she said. -- PTI
'Real motive of central agency presented before court...': Atishi
Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi addressed a press conference and said, "Yesterday in Rouse Avenue Court during the hearing of Arvind Kejriwal's remand, ED's counsel ASG SV Raju unknowingly presented the real motive of the agency before the court, before the world. He said that ED needs to have custody of Arvind Kejriwal for a few more days because Kejriwal has not given them the password of his phone. This is the same ED which had said that the phone that was used by Arvind Kejriwal at the time of the formation and implementation of the liquor policy could not be found by them...It is not ED but the BJP wants the password."
Unacceptable: MEA rebuts US re-flagging comments on Kejriwal, Congress, due process
A day after Washington reiterated its comments on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and flagged the need for due process in that and the case related to Congress’s bank accounts, New Delhi said Thursday that these remarks by the US State Department are “unwarranted” and “unacceptable”.
Responding to questions at the weekly briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “As you are aware, yesterday, India has lodged its strong objection and protest with the senior official from the US Embassy with regard to the comments made by the US State Department. The recent remarks by the State Department are unwarranted. Any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable.”
“In India, legal processes are driven only by the rule of law,” he said. “Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact.” Read more
Discussion on Central rule option gathers pace, BJP points to crisis in Capital
As the BJP turned up the heat on a “Constitutional crisis” in Delhi with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal still in Enforcement Directorate custody a week after his arrest, and AAP minister Atishi saying any move to impose President’s rule in Delhi would be an act of “political vendetta”, The Indian Express has learnt that discussions around that option have “gathered pace” at the highest levels.
Sources said the Centre and the office of Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena are looking at instances of “governance-related challenges” being faced.
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Sunita Kejriwal to post video message at 12 noon
Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, will post a video address at noon today.
Political Pulse | As Kejriwal names Maguntas in court, father and son campaign for BJP ally in Andhra
Away from the national capital’s courtroom where the case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is playing out, two key figures embroiled in the excise policy case – four-time MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava Magunta Reddy – are busy campaigning for BJP ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP), with the former expected to get a ticket from Andhra Pradesh’s Ongole. Raghava is, in fact, one of the approvers based on whose statement the Enforcement Directorate has built its case against Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party.
The ED alleges the father-son duo, who own Balaji Distilleries, are part of the ‘South Group’, whose members received undue benefits under the Delhi excise policy in exchange for kickbacks paid to the AAP.
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After US, Germanyâs remarks on Delhi CMâs arrest, UN spokesperson âhopes everyoneâs rights are protectedâ
After diplomatic tensions over US and Germany’s remarks over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said we very much “hope” that in India and any country that is having elections, people’s “political and civil rights” are “protected”. He was responding to a question on the “political unrest” in India ahead of the upcoming national elections in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress Party’s bank accounts, reported PTI.
INDIA leaders to protest outside BJP headquarters today as Delhi CMâs ED custody is extended till April 1
A week after Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the liquor policy case, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court extended CM Arvind Kejriwal’s ED custody by four days till April 1. Meanwhile, ahead of its scheduled mega rally on March 31 against the arrest of Kejriwal, leaders of the INDIA bloc will hold a protest outside the BJP headquarters at ITO today.