Haryana minister Anil Vij on Wednesday reacted to Enforcement Directorate’s summons to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Vij said that Kejriwal used to criticise other political leaders for not appearing before the ED despite receiving a summon but is now doing the same. “A chameleon doesn’t change its colours as many times as Kejriwal has. 6-7 years ago he tweeted that his head hangs in shame when political leaders don’t appear for ED summons. What does he have to say today? Doesn’t he feel ashamed now? He wants ED should catch him so that they earn TRPs.”

Commenting on the ED summons to Kejriwal earlier, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia had said, “Gone are the days when corrupt leaders used to rule over the honest citizenry of the country. The only place for the corrupt leaders is behind bars and it is our firm resolve that every corrupt leader will be punished as per law.”

Bhatia further said that the Modi government had zero tolerance for corruption and that the probe agencies were given a “free hand” to work independently and take action against graft without any bias.

READ | Kejriwal to skip ED summons; calls notice ‘illegal’ in written reply

“Such dramas will not help because Kejriwal knows that handcuffs are coming closer to him,” Bhatia said.

On Wednesday, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal opted not to attend the third summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Instead, he submitted a written response, asserting that the notice was illegal.

Kejriwal also raised concerns about the timing of the notice, suggesting that it was strategically timed to impede his campaign activities leading up to the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The initial summons for the Delhi chief minister were issued by the central agency on November 2, but he did not appear, contending that the notice was “ambiguous, biased, and legally unsustainable.” He further asserted that the summons seemed to have political motivations and were issued for external considerations.

Subsequently, Kejriwal received a second summons from the Enforcement Directorate on December 18, instructing him to appear at the federal agency’s office on December 21. However, the chief minister chose not to attend even then.

(With inputs from agencies)