Modi govt wants to arrest Arvind Kejriwal to stop him from campaigning for Lok Sabha polls: AAP

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Pic/PTI

The Modi government wants to arrest Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop him from campaigning for Lok Sabha polls, said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday.

Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday accused the BJP-led Centre of hatching a conspiracy to arrest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls.

Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday skipped the third summons issued by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case and sent a written reply calling the notice illegal.

Addressing a press conference, Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the timing of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons, reported news agency PTI.

"The ED has still not answered in what capacity is he being summoned -- as a witness or an accused. The entire excise policy case is political and an attempt to stop Kejriwal from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls. The Modi government has hatched a conspiracy to get him arrested," he said, reported PTI.

Bharadwaj said former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who has been in jail for nearly a year, will be proven innocent sooner or later, reported PTI.

"Manish Sisodia has been under arrest for 1 year. They have not been able to gather any evidence against Manish Sisodia and now preparations are on to arrest Arvind Kejriwal. Efforts are being made continuously to arrest the opposition leaders of the country," the AAP leader said.

"We are not being informed in what capacity they are calling Arvind Kejriwal, he is neither a witness nor an accused," the Minister added.

Bharadwaj pointed out the lack of action against BJP leaders despite many cases in place. He also cited examples of leaders who faced legal action and were allegedly exempted from the same after they joined the BJP.

"Many cases come up against BJP leaders but no action is being taken against them," Minister Bhardwaj said.

"BJP was running a campaign against everyone from Suvendhu Adhikari to Mukul Roy, Pema Khandu, Ajit Pawar, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and then they joined BJP," he added.

Kejriwal was asked to appear before the ED on Wednesday for questioning in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

This was the third ED notice to Kejriwal, also the AAP's convener, after he refused to appear before the federal agency on two earlier summonses for November 2 and December 21.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)