'ED must show order copy', AAP rejects claims of sanction to prosecute Kejriwal
New Delhi, Dec 21: Aam Aadmi Party leaders in Delhi, including Chief Minister Atishi, on Saturday rejected claims that Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has granted sanction to the Enforcement Directorate to prosecute party supremo Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise policy scam.
While no formal reaction was immediately available from the lieutenant governor's (LG) office on the issue, sources in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it is yet to receive the sanction to prosecute Kejriwal in the excise policy case linked to money laundering.
"Reports of ED getting prosecution sanction (against Kejriwal) are false. Had the LG granted prosecution sanction, why isn't the ED showing its copy," senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who was also an accused in the excise policy case, asked in a statement.
This is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from the "disrespect" shown by the BJP to Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sisodia alleged.
Atishi claimed reports about LG granting prosecution sanction are being spread solely to "mislead people and divert attention from real issues".
Stating that the BJP should stop such "conspiracies", the chief minister said in a post on X, "If the LG has granted prosecution sanction against Arvind Kejriwal, why does the ED have a problem in making its copy public?"
Sanjay Singh, AAP Rajya Sabha MP and also an accused in the excise policy case, claimed "LG V K Saxena has not granted any prosecution sanction", adding that the ED should make public if it has received any letter on this.
Meanwhile, BJP MP from New Delhi, Bansuri Swaraj, hit back at AAP claiming its leaders were "panicked" with the thought of Kejriwal's prosecution.
"If the lieutenant governor grants permission to prosecute Kejriwal, corruption in the AAP government will become the main political issue, which 'Team Kejriwal' does not want before the (Assembly) elections," she said in a statement.
"The truth is that cases against Kejriwal are already registered, and 'Team Kejriwal' is aware that this approval could expedite the ongoing cases against him, possibly leading to jail term for him in the near future," she claimed..
In March this year, the ED arrested then Chief Minister Kejriwal in connection with the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy (2021-22). He was released from prison on September 13 after the Supreme Court granted him bail.
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Rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, as Palestinians mourn 19 dead in Gaza
Tel Aviv, Dec 21: A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians.
A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 am Saturday, the military said.
The Houthi rebels issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.
The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won't stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides' attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine UN mediation efforts.
