New Delhi, February 16: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moved a Motion of Confidence in the assembly today, February 16. The Motion of Confidence will be taken up for discussion tomorrow as the proceedings of the House have been adjourned. Speaking of his purpose behind bringing the confidence motion, Arvind Kejriwal said he wants to show that none of the AAP MLAs defected.
"We can see that parties are being broken and governments are being toppled in other states by slapping false cases. In Delhi, they (BJP) intend to arrest AAP leaders under the pretext of liquor policy case. They want to topple the Delhi government because they know that they can never win the election in Delhi...To show the people that none of our MLAs broke away and all of them are intact, I present a Confidence Motion," the Chief Minister declared.
Earlier today, Kejriwal on X announced that he will bring the trust vote. "I will seek vote of confidence in Vidhan Sabha today," he posted in Hindi. Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), brought the trust vote amid ongoing probe in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate has asked Kejriwal to present before the agency on February 19 for questioning. This is the sixth summons in this case by the ED to the AAP leader.
Allegations Against AAP, Kejriwal:
The ED has mentioned Kejriwal's name multiple times in its charge sheet. According to the charge sheet, the accused coordinated with Kejriwal while framing the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. The ED had claimed in its charge sheet that the AAP used "proceeds of crime" to the tune of about Rs 45 crore in its Goa election campaign.
The ED has so far arrested AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, AAP's communications in-charge Vijay Nair and some businessmen in the case. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.
