K Kavitha said, “Wherever there are elections, the Enforcement Directorate comes before the Prime Minister”.
New Delhi:
K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha, the chief minister of Telangana, today claimed that questioning by a central investigative agency is equivalent to being questioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an exclusive interview for NewsMadura, Ms Kavitha – soon to be questioned in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam – said while it is up to her to prove she has done no wrong, “how can I fight the whole system”.
The central investigative agencies have alleged that Ms. Kavitha is part of the liquor lobby dubbed the “South Cartel” that benefited from the kickbacks in Delhi’s now-repealed liquor policy, in which Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia is arrested.
She was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in December. The Enforcement Directorate has now summoned her for questioning, which will now take place on March 11.
“In India there is no difference between the summons of the Enforcement Directorate and the summons of Modi… It is now a practice where there are elections, before the Prime Minister comes the Enforcement Directorate. What can the opposition do? Go to the people’s court or the Supreme Court,” the Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC claimed.
Ms Kavitha had requested a postponement of questioning that was expected to take place today, citing a protest rally she is attending in Delhi. The new date specified was March 11.
The 44-year-old claimed the BJP is trying to “intimidate my leader” – her father, Mr Rao, who is hoping for a third consecutive term in power in the state, which is due for parliamentary elections in a few months.
Ms. Kavitha’s former accountant has been arrested in connection with the alleged liquor scam. The CBI alleges that liquor companies were involved in drafting Delhi’s excise policy for 2021, for which a bribe of Rs 30 crore was paid by the “South Cartel”.
The leader of Telangana has been called to face arrested Hyderabad businessman Arun Ramchandran Pillai, who is said to be the front man of the “South Cartel,” the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
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