PANJIM: Aam Admi Party (AAP) Goa Convenor Amit Palekar, party leader Ramrao Wagh, Bhandari Samaj President Ashok Naik and Goa Liquor Traders’ Association President Dattaprasad Naik appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the city for questioning in connection with the money laundering case.,
The leaders reached the ED office as they were issued summons on March 27, 204, Wednesday, and asked to to appear before the central agency in connection with money laundering linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam in which Arvind Kejriwal and some others have been arrested.
Speaking to reporters, Palekar said, ”The ED has demanded some data which I will share with it. I have joined the investigation and whatever questions they are asking me, I am answering. Whatever data they have asked, I will provide. They are doing their job and I will do mine as a citizen and will see what happens.”
Dattaprasad Naik did not respond to questions posed by the media.
Meanwhile, AAP leader and Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said,” In the name of liquor scam, the BJP government is putting behind bars whomever they want. It has destroyed the democratic set up in the country. In democracy, except the people, no body is supreme. There was a time when Congress too had around 370 MPs in the parliament but it too was defeated in the elections. People are going to retaliate as democracy has been murdered. The Election code of conduct is in force and because of this we are not able to gather anywhere. The ED is being misused. We are going to be united and rally behind our president.”
”They have started troubling us as they are rattled by the message sent by the INDIA Bloc through its unity and protest held at Azad Maidan recently. I just want to say that we are going to stay and we are going to fight this battle,” he said.
Velim MLA Cruz Silva alleged that BJP is trying to break AAP using money power but it will not happen as its leaders are united.
”But our support is always with Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP government has sent many of our leaders in jail but the investigative agencies have failed to find a single rupee during the investigation and raids. The ruling party is in fear because of the unit of INDIA Bloc and looking at defeat of its both candidates in Lok Sabha elections in Goa. The arrests are being made to ensure that opposition leaders join BJP,” he said.
Goa Congress leader Sunil Kawathankar alleged that Enforcement Directorate has been changed into “Extortion Directorate”
”As BJP has realised that it is going to lose both North and South Goa seats and that is why it has deployed ED to issue summons to opposition leaders in the state. This is nothing but muzzling of democracy. This nothing about Congress or AAP but a direct threat by the BJP government to the Indian constitution and Indian democracy,” he said.
The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons to two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and asked them to remain present before it on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
