New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal skips Enforcement Directorate summons, campaigns in MP

New Delhi, Singrauli : Defying the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday took part in a roadshow for the party's Singrauli city candidate in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls. He was accompanied by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. Kejriwal, who is the AAP's national convener, did not appear before the ED for questioning in the Delhi excise policy-linked case earlier in the day, and instead wrote to the agency demanding the withdrawal of the notice summoning him claiming it was "illegal and politically motivated". He and Mann took part in a roadshow here for the party candidate from Singrauli and AAP's state president Rani Agrawal. She is also the mayor of Singrauli city, a major electricity generation hub.

"They have been threatening since the last few days in Delhi that they will arrest Kejriwal. They threaten everyday in Delhi that they will arrest Kejriwal. You will arrest the body of Kejriwal, but how will you arrest the thinking of Kejriwal?" the Delhi CM asked amid loud cheers from his supporters. "

He wrote to the Central agency demanding the "recall" of its summons to him, calling it "vague, motivated and unsustainable in law". The reply of the CM, according to the official sources, is being examined by the ED. Sources also indicated that a fresh date for Kejriwal could be issued for a closer date as the Supreme Court has recently taken note of the prosecution's assurance that the trial in the case will be concluded within the next 6-8 months.

The central agency had summoned Kejriwal for questioning in the alleged Delhi excise policy case and to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLA. Kejriwal's party colleagues Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.