K Kavitha, a Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti (BRS) MLC, announced on Wednesday that she has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear in the national capital on March 9 in connection with a money laundering case involving alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy.
The summons was described by Kavitha as “tactics of intimidation” by the Centre against Telangana Chief Minister K Chadrashekar Rao and the BRS party, and she stated that she and the party will continue to fight to expose the Centre’s failures and raise the voice for a brighter and better future for India.
“I would also like the ruling party at the Centre to know that these tactics of intimidation against the fight and voice of our leader, CM KCR, and against the entire BRS Party will not deter us. Under the leadership of KCR Garu, we will continue to fight to expose your failures and raise voices for a brighter and better future for India,” Kavitha posted in a statement on Twitter today.
“The Women’s Reservation Bill has been long-pending; our only demand is to table it in the Parliament to give women their due share of political participation. Bharath Jagruthi, along with opposition parties and women’s organisations from all across the country, will come together on March 10 at Jantar Mantar, for a one-day peaceful hunger strike, demanding the BJP government to introduce and pass the Women’s Reservation Bill”
She stated that, while she will cooperate with the investigation, she will seek ‘legal advice’ regarding the date of her summons.
“As a law-abiding citizen, I will fully cooperate with the investigation agencies. However, due to the Dharna and prefixed appointments, I’ll seek legal opinions on the date of attending it,” she said.
She also stated that Telangana would not “bow down” to “power mongers” in Delhi.
“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,” Kavitha added.
According to sources, the Enforcement Directorate summoned K Kavitha on March 9 to record her statement in connection with its ongoing investigation into the Delhi excise policy case.
According to sources, Kavitha will face off against Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, who was arrested in the case on Monday night.
ED’s investigation has revealed that Pillai is a key figure in the overall scam involving large kickback payments and the formation of the South Group’s largest cartel.
Telangana MLC Kavitha, Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Group), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MP, Ongole), his son Raghav Magunta, and others make up the South Group. Pillai, Abhishek Boinpalli, and Butchi Babu represented the South Group, according to the federal agency investigation.
Pillai along with his associates was coordinating with various persons to execute the political understanding between the South Group and a leader of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Pillai has been accomplice and was involved in the kickbacks from the South Group and the recoupment of the same from the businesses in Delhi, ED investigation reveals.
According to the ED and the CBI, irregularities were committed while modifying the Excise Policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced, and the L-1 licence was extended without the approval of the competent authority. To avoid detection, the beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account.
According to allegations, the Excise Department decided to refund an Earnest Money Deposit of approximately Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer in violation of the established rules. Despite the lack of an enabling provision, COVID-19 allowed for a waiver on tendered licence fees from December 28, 2021 to January 27, 2022.
This allegedly resulted in a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which was instituted on a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and a reference from the Union Home Ministry.
