Approach court and get ED summons to Arvind Kejriwal quashed if it's 'illegal': BJP to AAP

New Delhi: The BJP on Friday dared the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to move court and get the ED summons issued to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal quashed if the party believed it to be "illegal".

Kejriwal skipped the fifth summons issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged liquor policy scam on Friday, and instead joined AAP leaders and workers in a protest near the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg.

Kejriwal is not going to the ED for questioning because he knows that corruption has been done and is trying to evade answering to the probe agency, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Meenakashi Lekhi said in the Parliament House complex.

"Neither the courts not any authority has any patience with this kind of behaviour, for the simple reason that they go by what the law is and what it demands," she said, adding a sitting chief minister is expected to adhere to the law.

Earlier the day, the AAP said that Kejriwal will not appear before the agency for questioning and alleged that the summons issued to him was "illegal". The party also alleged that the BJP wants to topple its government in Delhi by getting Kejriwal arrested.

He skipped the ED summons but went to stage "drama" in front of the BJP headquarters, Lekhi charged.

The AAP leaders used to say earlier that any person holding a post should first resign and then face investigation. But, here a sitting chief minister is not joining investigation, let alone resigning from his post, she said.

Lekhi also rubbished the AAP's charge that the BJP wanted to topple the Kejriwal government.

"BJP does not need to topple the government because people in your party know precisely that you are not a worthy chief minister nor a worthy leader and they are leaving you," she said.

She further claimed that there was a "split" in the AAP that was seen during the Chandigarh mayoral poll. The BJP won the post of Chandigarh mayor even though the combined tally of INDIA bloc members AAP and Congress was higher.

She said that many people joined Kejriwal and his AAP earlier when he used to talk about fight against corruption. But, now they were leaving him and the party because they have realised he did no work and engaged in drama only, she charged.

North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said Kejriwal has skipped five summonses of the ED so far and questioned "if he wants to give the message to children of Delhi to not follow the law. Was he elected for this?" He said Kejriwal should appear before the ED and provide it proof of his innocence if he has any.

"But he is skipping ED summonses that means he acknowledges that corruption has been done and he is also guilty," Tiwari said.

Aam Aadmi Party's Lok Sabha MP Rinku Singh said that Kejriwal was not scared of the actions of the BJP.

"Kejriwal is not going to be scared by the BJP's tactics to scare because he is a leader borne out of struggles," he told PTI Videos.

The MP from Patiala said that it was right of every citizen of the country to enquire about the reasons for being summoned by any agency and Kejriwal was also trying to know the reason for which he was being called by the ED.