PM has admitted — no proof in excise scam: Delhi CM Kejriwal

"What the PM said will shock you; he said no proof has been recovered because Kejriwal is an experienced thief,” he said.

“Pradhan Mantri ji, when you yourself have admitted that the entire excise scam is fake, that you have no proof, no recovery, then let everyone go,” he added. (Photo/X/@ArvindKejriwal)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has admitted that there is neither proof nor a money trail in the alleged excise scam, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Friday, hours before the Capital votes in the Lok Sabha polls.

In a video message, the AAP convener, citing his statement as part of an interview given by the PM a day earlier, said that since this was the case, everyone arrested as part of the ‘fake excise policy scam’ be released from prison.

“Over the last two years, they have been screaming ‘excise scam in Delhi’; they arrested me, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia, conducted as many as 500 raids throughout the country, who knows how many people they arrested… They say we took kickbacks of Rs 100 crore; a few days ago, they said it is a scam worth Rs 1,100 crore…,” Kejriwal said.

“The question that arises is that if this is such a big scam, the money must be kept some where? They conducted more than 500 raids but could not find a penny anywhere… Yesterday, the Prime Minister was asked this question — that there is no money or evidence regarding the excise scam… What the PM said will shock you; he said no proof has been recovered because Kejriwal is an experienced thief,” he said.

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During an interview with India TV on Thursday, while responding to Kejriwal’s contention that no “wads of currency notes” related to the alleged excise scam had been recovered from him, the PM had said, “… he has been an officer so he knows how things work… he who is an experienced thief has it easier. Someone who has served the government as an officer will know the ED will go this way, the CBI that way, just keep a few things in order…”

Kejriwal said the PM had “admitted in front of the entire country” in the interview that “he has no proof of the excise scam” and was trying to “hide” the “wrongful arrests in the fake case” by seeking shelter behind the allegation that the Delhi CM was “an experienced thief”.

“It is to hide this fact (that there is no proof) that he said Kejriwal is an experienced thief… so your CBI is good for nothing, all its officers are good for nothing? All your ED officers are good for nothing?” he asked.

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“Pradhan Mantri ji, when you yourself have admitted that the entire excise scam is fake, that you have no proof, no recovery, then let everyone go,” he added.

Arrested in the case on March 21, the Delhi CM was released on interim bail by the Supreme Court for the Lok Sabha elections on May 10 and is to surrender and return to judicial custody on June 2.

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