Kejriwal in Punjab for Vipassana, may send his response to ED summons

Kejriwal arrived for the 10-day course at the Dhamma Dhaja Vipassana Centre, located at Anandgarh, around 11 km from Hoshiarpur in Punjab.

During this retreat, Kejriwal will refrain from participating in any official duties and will adhere to the centre’s regulations, which include abstaining from the use of mobile phones, internet, television, or newspapers.

Another AAP member said, “We will file a written response to the ED tomorrow… As per rules, it will be sent in the morning.”

When Kejriwal got the summons, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak had said the Delhi CM had to go for the pre-scheduled meditation session and that a legal view was being taken on the summons.

Meanwhile, the BJP sharpened its attack on AAP and said the way Kejriwal is running away and evading the summons proves he has admitted his involvement in the liquor scam.

“It seems Kejriwal knows the investigations done by ED have established he is the main brain behind the liquor scam and beneficiary of it. Therefore, he is trying to linger on the investigation as much as possible… but he should know that Delhiites very well understand the Kejriwal government is corrupted and it will reflect in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls,” said Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva.

This is the second summons issued to the AAP chief by the ED in the excise policy case.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of giving a “political asylum” to Kejriwal and shielding him against an ED summons.

“This is the first time in the history of the country that a chief minister of a state has got political asylum in another state to escape the clutches of a central agency,” SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Kler in a statement said.Kler asked Kejriwal to answer why was “running” from the Enforcement Directorate if he was clean. “It is clear that Kejriwal cannot face questioning.” He also asked Kejriwal to not offer “lame excuses” of coming to Hoshiarpur for a Vipassana session.

It is for the first time that the AAP national convener will be practising Vipassana in Punjab. He had earlier practised it in Jaipur, Nagpur, and Bengaluru in the past.

A spokesperson of Dhamma Dhaja centre described Vipassana as an age-old, non-sectarian technique aimed at eliminating mental impurities and promoting mental health and well-being. The code of discipline for the course involves moral conduct (sila) as the foundation of the practice, leading to the development of concentration of mind (samadhi) and purification of the mind through the wisdom of insight (panna).

Kejriwal will adhere to a stringent daily routine, starting at 4 am and concluding at 9:30 pm. His meals will consist of simple food, with no meal permitted after midday. Accommodations will include a bed, along with simple bedding. Participants are prohibited from interacting with each other, with communication restricted to specific intervals with their trainers, said the spokesperson.