New Delhi: Reacting to AAP’s charge that the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to arrest Arvind Kejriwal to prevent him from campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP on Thursday said the Delhi chief minister has been behaving like a fugitive. Referring to Kejriwal skipping the ED summons over the liquor policy case, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva called AAP ‘choron ki baraat’ (a procession of thieves).

“Since morning I have been watching the ‘Choron ki Baraat‘ (procession of thieves) making noise and mourning for Kejriwal. When you did corruption what happened that time? You (Kejriwal) are running away from the investigation agency. You have been called three times by ED but you did not go there. Now you are mourning that you can be arrested. Delhi CM it’s your responsibility to follow the rules but you are not following that,” he said.

BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj said Kejriwal is not above the law.

“The ED has sent three summons, but the CM is running away from an investigation. He doesn’t want to be involved in the investigation,” Swaraj said.

Also read: Kejriwal to address public meeting in Gujarat, meet jailed AAP MLA

On Wednesday night, Delhi minister Atishi said the chief ministers would be arrested on Thursday. “News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely,” she claimed on X.

AAP leader Jasmine Shah claimed the BJP wants to finish the AAP.

“It is clear that they (BJP) want to finish the Aam Aadmi Party and arrest Arvind Kejriwal before Lok Sabha elections. He is ready to cooperate with the legal process. Till now, all summons served to him are illegal,” Shah said.

When asked about where they got the news of the raids at Kejriwal’s residence, the AAP leader said, “Last night from our credible sources, we got to know that a raid will be conducted and Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested.”

Congress leader Udit Raj said the Delhi chief minister must appear before the ED and present his stance on the allegations like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri said: “AAP leaders are lamenting and questioning ED whether Arvind Kejriwal can be arrested. I want to ask this question to everyone, if the police repeatedly visit someone’s house, asking them to come, and they refuse, should they be arrested or not? Or does the law differ for common people and VIPs?”

Also read:‘Your obstinacy…’: Arvind Kejriwal cites Rajya Sabha polls, Republic Day for skipping ED summons

Kejriwal skipped the summons for the third time citing prior engagements due to the Rajya Sabha elections and the Republic Day. He also asked the Enforcement Directorate to respond to his previous letters.

“As a premier investigating agency the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice. Your obstinacy is tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law,” he wrote in the letter on Wednesday.

On November 2, he skipped the first ED summons saying he was busy with the election campaign. In December, he said he was going on a Vipassana trip.

With inputs from PTI, ANI