Senior Atishi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party following the court’s decision to discharge Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case, calling the episode a “conspiracy driven by hunger for power and misuse of central agencies.”
Addressing reporters, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said the court’s order has exposed what she termed as a politically motivated campaign against the Delhi government. “This was never about corruption. It was about targeting an elected Chief Minister and weakening a government that works for the people,” she alleged.
The remarks came after a special court granted relief to Kejriwal and others in a case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation related to the now-scrapped 2021–22 Delhi liquor policy. The court reportedly observed that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient grounds to proceed against the accused.
Atishi accused the BJP-led central government of using investigative bodies as “political tools” to intimidate opposition leaders. She claimed that repeated summons, raids and arrests were aimed at damaging the party’s image ahead of elections. “When they cannot defeat us politically, they try to trap us legally,” she said.
The BJP, however, rejected the allegations, maintaining that investigative agencies function independently and act on evidence. Party leaders stated that the broader investigation into the excise policy is still ongoing and that legal scrutiny should not be politicised.
The Delhi liquor policy row has been one of the most contentious political flashpoints in recent years, with multiple agencies probing alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the excise regime. The Aam Aadmi Party has consistently denied wrongdoing, calling the case a “fabricated narrative.”
Political analysts say the court’s decision has intensified the war of words between the AAP and the BJP at a crucial time. With electoral battles on the horizon, the confrontation is likely to shape campaign rhetoric in the coming months.
For now, the discharge order has given Kejriwal and his party temporary relief, but the political fallout from the excise controversy continues to reverberate through the capital’s charged atmosphere.
