Kavitha issues statement soon after ED summons in Delhi Liquor Scam case

Hyderabad: Soon after the Enforcement Directorate issued a notice to MLC Kavitha to appear before them for questioning in connection with Delhi liquor scam case, the BRS MLC on Wednesday said that she would not get cowed down by the intimidation tactics of the BJP government at the Centre. She also stated that as a law-abiding citizen, she would continue to fully cooperate with the investigation agencies probing into the Delhi excise policy case.

However, due to the Dharna and prefixed appointments, the BRS legislator has decided to seek legal opinions on the date of attending the ED for questioning.

In a statement here, Kavitha said the intimidation tactics by the BJP at the Centre against the fight and voice of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and against the BRS Party will not deter them. Under the leadership of the Chief Minister, she vowed to continue her fight to expose the Centre's failures and raise her voice for a brighter and better future for India.

"Let me also remind the power mongers in Delhi that Telangana has never and will never bow before the oppressive anti-people regime. We will fearlessly and fiercely fight for the rights of the people. Telangana will not bow down," she said.

Kavitha is scheduled to participate in a one-day peaceful hunger strike organised by Bharat Jagruthi along with the Opposition parties and women organisations at Jantar Mantar on March 10, demanding the BJP government to introduce and pass the Women's Reservation Bill which has been long-pending. "Our only demand is to table it in the Parliament to give women their due share of political participation," she said.

It is to mention here that the ED made an arrest in the ongoing Delhi excise policy scam investigation. On Tuesday, Arun Pillai, Hyderabad based businessman was arrested by the ED, making him the 11th person to be arrested in the case. Arun Pillai's alleged involvement in the scam is related to providing kickbacks worth Rs 100 crore to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders during the Goa elections. Pillai was a representative of the South Group, along with Abhishek Boinpally and Buchi Babu.

According to reports, Abhishek facilitated the transfer of the kickbacks in collusion with Vijay Nair, the Aam Aadmi Party's communication in-charge, and Dinesh Arora, Nair's associate. Arun Pillai's land parcel worth Rs 2.25 crore in Vattinagulapalle, Hyderabad, was also recently attached by the ED.

Arun Pillai is expected to appear before Rouse Avenue District Courts later in the day, and the ED is likely to seek a two-week custodial remand. The ED has alleged that Amandeep Dhal, the director of Brindco Sales Pvt Ltd, played a significant role in the formulation and conspiracy of the kickbacks paid by the South Group. Dhal's questioning reportedly led to Arun Pillai's arrest.

The ED has claimed that Vijay Nair received kickbacks worth Rs 100 crore from the South Group on behalf of AAP leaders, according to the supplementary charge sheet. The group's prominent members include Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, Raghav Magunta, Sarath Reddy, and K. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The ED investigation into the Delhi excise policy scam is ongoing, and further developments are awaited.