Sukesh opens a ‘can of worms in Delhi liquor-gate

The Delhi liquor policy scam is taking new twists and turns. The latest revelation of one of the prime accused in the scam, Sukesh Chandrasekhar latest revelation that he indeed paid Rs 15 crore to none other than Kalvakuntla Kavitha, as part of the deal to get major stakes of liquor brands of the south, appears to have opened a new can of worms. This, despite her continuous defiance stating that her name was dragged as her father and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) party supremo, has thrown a challenge to stop Modi-Shah’s juggernaut in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She also boasts that she had been cooperating with the probing central agencies and her latest claim is of submission of so-called destroyed phones, allegedly made by the agency, only to defame her. Brazenly waiving two plastic bags containing cell phones just before her second appearance before the Enforcement Directorate, had also added to the confusion over involvement. Interestingly, the agency too had gone mute, after Kavitha handed over the allegedly destroyed cell phones. Although, some social media posts claimed that there is a clear match between the phones that were referred to in the ED chargesheet are different from the ones she submitted, the agency’s delay in either confirming either way, keep the suspense on hold like the Hollywood ‘suspense thriller’ Alfresh Hitchcock’s script. But, Sukesh Chandrasekharan, who is allegedly the ‘kingpin’ in the entire ‘wheeling and dealings of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on becoming an approver in the Delhi liquor-gate scam, has started shooting out one after another revelation through letters to the agency from his prison cell. His latest salvo is another WhatsApp he purportedly had with Kavitha over handing over ‘15 kg ghee’, which, he claimed, was code for ‘Rs 15 crore’. He said he was given the cash by Aam Aadmi Party chief Kejriwal and Satyendar Jain. Chandrasekhar also boasted that he made this payment as part of a series of kickbacks for Delhi liquor licenses, which were laundered and transferred through many countries as part of hawala transactions made in favor of the AAP. He further stated in his letter; “Arvind Kejriwal was particular that no transaction was to be carried out from Delhi. Hence, all cash transactions during the Covid period were being carried out from Hyderabad for Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Admi Party.” He said that the term ‘JJI’ was used as a code to reference Kavitha’s guest house in Jubilee Hills, where the transactions usually took place. He also alleged that ‘party 11Q’ meant TRS office, ‘package’ meant ‘cash’, ‘sister’ meant ‘Kavitha’, and ‘ghee’ meant ‘crores of rupees. This unexpected revelation is indeed bound to push Kavitha and her party on the back foot. Simply because her effort to stall the agency’s summons through a petition was also got innocuous with the Supreme Court’s rejection of a plea by the Opposition parties accusing the Central agencies were being misused by the Modi-led government to harass his political opponents. Now, one has to wait and see whether the ED takes cognizance of the Delhi liquor-gate ‘King pin’s statement to issue fresh summons to Kavitha, who got injured and the doctors asked her to take two weeks rest. As the day passes, the liquor policy is becoming curious, as the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who too made similar claims so brazenly, had to languish in jail for the past month, with the courts denying him bail. Yet, Kejriwal and his party spokespersons continue to claim that both leaders, who are cooling their heels in the prison, are innocent but jailed by foisting false cases against the judgment. But, they have no answer why the courts are denying bail to them if the agencies have no evidence. Of late, all those Opposition parties, led by the Congress, have only one accusation to make against their bitterest enemy and Prime Minister Narender Modi alleging that he made the industrial Gautam Adani the richest, by looting and cheating the nation’s financial institutions, but with no shred of evidence. However, one has to keep their fingers crossed and not jump to any conclusion over Adani’s alleged murkier deals, till the apex court-monitored panel probe into the ‘discredited’ Hindenburg allegations, is out with the apex court verdict. Yet, that may not prevent the Central agencies, in going ahead with the Delhi liquor gate scam and the noose appears to be getting tightened around the BRS MLC, with the fresh revelation of Sukesh Chandrasekhar.