Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is currently in custody on corruption charges related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, which is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
On Monday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena called for an anti-terror probe into allegations that Kejriwal received political funding from the banned group Sikhs For Justice, founded by fugitive terrorist Gurpatwant Pannun.
The Aam Aadmi Party quickly dismissed the request for a National Investigation Agency investigation, labeling it as a “conspiracy” against Kejriwal and the party. Senior leader Saurabh Bhardwaj stated that the Lieutenant Governor was acting on behalf of the BJP and described the accusations as a tactic orchestrated by the BJP.
The claims are the latest chapter in the ongoing and intense political conflict between AAP and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, just weeks before Delhi goes to the polls in the general election. In 2019, the BJP won all seven of Delhi’s parliamentary seats.
In a detailed letter to the Union Home Secretary, Mr. Saxena included a video that allegedly shows Pannun stating that the Aam Aadmi Party received a significant sum of $16 million from Khalistani groups. Mr. Saxena’s letter also claimed that Kejriwal agreed to work for the release of Devender Pal Bhullar in exchange for substantial financial support from Khalistani groups for the Aam Aadmi Party.
Kejriwal is also accused of receiving funds to promote pro-Khalistani positions.
Bhullar, a former professor, was convicted in the 1993 Delhi bomb blasts case. His death sentence in 2001 was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Kejriwal, along with other AAP leaders such as ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, has been arrested in connection with the alleged liquor policy case. Kejriwal’s detention has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which is currently considering his request for bail to allow him to campaign for the upcoming Delhi election.
Kejriwal asserts that his arrest was unlawful due to a lack of evidence linking him to the alleged crime. The top court continues to deliberate whether to grant bail to Kejriwal.
