New Delhi: Anna Hazare 'used' by AAP to capture power says Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi : On a day Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appeared before the CBI in the excise policy case, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party used activist Anna Hazare to capture power in the name of corruption. Rijiju also shared portions of an undated interview of Hazare in which the activist purportedly sounded critical of the Delhi excise policy. "Now they have captured power I am sure they will not even listen to Annaji. Corruption was an excuse to fool Annaji and the people. "Anna ji was used only to capture Power and to loot the resources in the name of corruption," the Union minister wrote in English and Hindi on Twitter. Kejriwal appeared before the CBI on Sunday for questioning in the excise policy case.

As Kejriwal's questioning got underway, top AAP leaders, including Mann, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, Kailash Gahlot, Sandeep Pathak, Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh gathered near the CBI headquarters and raised slogans against the prime minister. Several AAP leaders, including Punjab ministers and MLAs, alleged they were stopped from entering Delhi. The ruling party in Punjab claimed that ministers Bram Shanker Jimpa, Balbir Singh and Harjot Singh Bains, and MLAs Dinesh Chadha and Kuljit Randhawa were among those stopped at the Singhu border and not allowed to enter Delhi. "We cannot even enter our capital? @DelhiPolice not allowing my car to enter Delhi," Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains said in a tweet.

The agency had summoned Kejriwal on Friday last seeking his appearance as a witness before the investigation team to answer their queries on the inputs generated during the probe in which his former deputy Manish Sisodia was also arrested on February 26, the sources said. They said the CBI may ask the chief minister about the policy formulation process, especially the "untraceable" file, which was earlier slated to be put before the Council of Ministers.

They said the file containing opinions of the expert committee and public and legal opinions on it was not kept before the council and remains untraceable. The agency may also quiz Kejriwal on the statements of other accused, where they have indicated the manner in which policy was allegedly influenced to favour some liquor businessmen and the South liquor lobby, they said. In addition, the officials said the agency might also seek his role in formulating the excise policy and his knowledge about the alleged influence being cast by the traders and South lobby members. Kejriwal may also be asked if he was involved in the formulation of the policy before it was approved, they said. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.