Kejriwal 'invited' ED to arrest him by not responding to summons: Assam CM Himanta

He remarked that if Kejriwal had complied with the initial summons, his arrest might have been avoided.Talking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters here after a poll-preparedness meeting, Sarma said, If the ED serves someone nine summons and that person doesnt show up, it is evident that he is inviting his arrest.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal effectively invited his own arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) due to his repeated failure to respond to summons, suggesting that it might have been a tactic to garner political sympathy.

Sarma emphasised that when a person disregards nine summons from the ED, it indicates a deliberate invitation for arrest. He remarked that if Kejriwal had complied with the initial summons, his arrest might have been avoided.

Talking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters here after a poll-preparedness meeting, Sarma said, ''If the ED serves someone nine summons and that person doesn't show up, it is evident that he is inviting his arrest. The ED didn't arrest Kejriwal, he invited the ED to arrest him.'' The BJP leader cited the examples of politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who appeared before the ED when summoned, implying that Kejriwal's actions deviated from this norm.

When questioned about Kejriwal's refusal to comply with the summons, Sarma speculated about potential political motivations, suggesting that it could have been a strategy to elicit sympathy from the public.

The ED arrested Kejriwal on Friday, hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

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