New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) The excise policy case is a desperate attempt by the BJP to "malign an honest party like the AAP", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday.

His remarks came two days after a Delhi court granted bail to two accused in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

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The court said the evidence against the accused, Rajesh Joshi and Gautam Malhotra, was not sufficient for the case against them to be considered prima facie "genuine".

Meanwhile, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party accused Kejriwal of trying to divert attention from the renovation "scam" involving his bungalow, by hoisting the issue of bail granted to two accused in the excise policy case.

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With the court repeatedly denying bail to Manish Sisodia and "loss of public image" due to the "bungalow scam", Kejriwal is trying to create a perception that there is no liquor scam, said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva.

Kejriwal also took to Twitter and said the whole liquor scam is false.

Addressing a press conference later in the day, the chief minister reiterated that the allegations against the AAP in the 'Delhi Liquor Scam' are nothing but a "political conspiracy by the BJP to defame him and his party".

He urged the judiciary to take appropriate action against those who are using the ED-CBI for their political interests.

Dismissing the allegations of any liquor scam, he claimed that the accusations levelled by BJP were entirely false, adding that Aam Aadmi Party has always maintained its integrity.

"The AAP is known for its commitment to honesty, and its leadership has earned the trust of the entire country," he said.

A conspiracy to malign the party's image and betray the people's trust was carried out under the guise of the 'Delhi Liquor Scam', he said, adding that the BJP had claimed that the South Lobby paid a bribe of Rs 100 crore to AAP members but it has failed to prove it.

"The CBI-ED have also accepted in the court that out of Rs 100 crore, they do not have any evidence of this scam. The CBI-ED had alleged that a person named Rajesh Joshi translocated Rs 30 crore from the South Lobby and handed it over to the AAP leadership in Delhi. The only 'proof' they have is that someone had stated to them that Joshi gave Rs 30 crore to AAP," he added.

Citing the May 6 order of Rouse Avenue Court, he said the order says that there is not "a single evidence against Joshi to prove that he came to Delhi with a single paisa from the South Lobby".

"When Rajesh Joshi did not bring a single penny, the South Lobby did not give any money and the leadership of the party did not get the money, the whole case should be closed," the CM added.

The chief minister also dismissed the allegations that the party had spent Rs 100 crore in giving bribes during the Goa elections. He said the CBI-ED reportedly raided vendors associated with the party and arrested them, but investigations concluded that only Rs 19 lakh was spent in cash during the elections.

"This is a testament to the party's integrity, as no party in the country spends such a small amount during a state election," he stressed.

He asserted that the liquor scam allegations were a "fabrication created by the Prime Minister's office and presented to the CBI-ED as part of a conspiracy".

Accusing the ED of lying about Sisodia's phone records, he said of the 14 phones in question, five were with CBI-ED, while the rest were working.

He said the ED should be prosecuted for misleading the court and preventing Sisodia from obtaining bail.

Kejriwal said even the name of MP Sanjay Singh was included in the charge sheet, and later the ED tried to cover it up by saying it was a mistake.

Why did the names of BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Sambit Patra not appear by mistake, he questioned.

Alleging that the ED, known for "intimidating" leaders by issuing notices across the country, Kejriwal said the agency was "intimidated" when Sanjay Singh issued a notice in response.

"This is why the ED went to court and admitted that it had no evidence against Singh," he said.

He also cited an interview of former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik during the press conference.

"Satyapal Malik had said in that interview the BJP would arrest CM Arvind Kejriwal before the next election," Kejriwal said.

The chief minister challenged the BJP to do so, saying that he is just a "small figure compared to the larger issues of the nation at hand".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)