In his first reaction a day after his arrest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that his life is dedicated to the nation.
Responding to a question by reporters when he was being taken to court by the Enforcement Directorate, the AAP chief said in Hindi, "My life is dedicated to the country. I will keep serving the nation even if I am behind bars."
Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate around 9 pm on Thursday, becoming the first serving chief minister to face such an action. His arrest has come in a money-laundering case related to the scrapped Delhi liquor policy of 2021-22 and the probe agency has alleged that he and his party had received kickbacks in exchange for favours.
The AAP has claimed there was a conspiracy behind his arrest and the party has organised nationwide protests against it.
'Key Conspirator'
After spending a night in ED custody, Mr Kejriwal was produced before the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi on Friday. Seeking 10-day custody of the chief minister, the financial crime fighting agency has alleged that he was the "kingpin" and a key conspirator in the scam.
The total proceeds of the crime, according to the ED, are ₹ 600 crore. It has claimed that the Delhi liquor policy provided an exceptionally high profit margin of 12% for wholesalers and nearly 185% for retailers. Of the 12%, six was to be recovered from wholesalers as kickbacks for AAP leaders and a lobby called the South Group allegedly gave ₹ 100 crore in advance to another accused in the case, Vijay Nair, who was linked to the ruling party in Delhi.
BRS leader K Kavitha, who was arrested by the ED in the case last week, is alleged to have been a member of the South Group. NDTV
