The Enforcement Directorate arrived at Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand’s home on Thursday (2nd November) morning, just before the agency planned to question the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In addition to the minister’s home in the Civil Lines area, nine locations connected to him are also being raided by the ED.
While Kejriwal is going to be questioned by the ED regarding a money laundering investigation related to Delhi’s liquor policy, it is not yet known if the ongoing raids on Minister Raaj Kumar Anand’s property have anything to do with it. However, the ED confirmed that the searches were related to a money laundering investigation.
#WATCH | ED raid underway at the residence of Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand in Civil Lines area. Searches started early morning today. Raids are underway at 9 premises linked to him. Details awaited pic.twitter.com/2Q0ZuFIjGo
— ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2023
Notably, it has come to the fore that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal might not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today as he has planned to hold a road show, along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today. He will hold a road show, along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh today.
— ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2023
(File photo) pic.twitter.com/weeUzG0YNL
However, security continues to be beefed up with the deployment of extra police forces outside the Delhi ED office ahead of the much-anticipated appearance of the Delhi Chief Minister, which now might not happen.
After Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned early this year, Patel Nagar MLA and labor minister Raj Kumar Anand, 57, was given the education and health ministries. Later, Atishi received the education portfolio and Saurabh Bharadwaj received the health ministry. At present Anand is the Minister of Social Welfare and Labor department.
The raids occur while AAP MP Sanjay Singh, former minister Satyendar Jain, and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia are in jail on separate charges. The ED plans to question Kejriwal regarding the liquor case that led to the arrests of Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh. Kejriwal is going to be questioned about the liquor case for the second time. Kejriwal was questioned for nine hours after the CBI summoned him in April.
The Aam Aadmi Party suspects that CM Kejriwal will be arrested by the ED. The party and the Delhi government will be operated from jail if Kejriwal is arrested, as per a statement issued on Wednesday by Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate are looking into the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, which was ultimately scrapped. The policy allegedly favored specific liquor dealers, which the AAP denies. According to a report by the Delhi government’s chief secretary, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena requested a CBI investigation into the irregularities in July last year.
