Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, said on Saturday that he has returned to the capital after finishing a 10-day Vipassana meditation programme in Punjab's Hoshiarpur region and would now resume serving the people. The AAP leader has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate to appear for questioning in an excise policy-related money laundering case on January 3. On December 20, Kejriwal arrived to the Dhamma Dhaja Vipassana Centre (DDVC) in Anandgarh, around 11 km from Hoshiarpur.
"Returned today after 10 days of Vipassana meditation. This sadhana gives immense peace. From today onwards, we will again start serving the public with new energy. Good luck to all," CM Kejriwal stated in a post in Hindi on X (previously known as Twitter).
Before leaving the meditation institute, Kejriwal was honoured by Gautam Lal, trustee of the DDVC, who also gave him a collection of books. The AAP national convener practiced Vipassana for the first time in Punjab. He has already visited Jaipur, Nagpur, Dharamkot, and Bengaluru for this purpose.
Vipassana is an ancient Indian meditation approach for self-transformation via self-observation that focuses on the mind-body relationship.
During the meditation retreat, Kejriwal was required to follow the rules of the centre, which included not using mobile phones, the internet, television, or newspapers. The strict daily schedule began at 4 a.m. and ended at 9:30 p.m. The meals are modest, with no meals authorised after lunchtime, according to a DDVC representative.
According to official sources, Kejriwal would appear before the Enforcement Directorate on January 3 in relation to the excise policy matter, news agency ANI reported.
Earlier on December 22, the ED sent CM Kejriwal with a third summons in connection with the excise policy case, summoning him to appear before the agency on January 3.
The ED sent Kejriwal a second summons on December 18, requesting him to appear in person at the federal agency's office on December 21, which he did not do.
The Delhi CM was summoned to appear before the central agency on November 2, but he did to show, claiming that the notice was "vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law."
He further said that the summons looked to be politically motivated and issued for unrelated reasons.
The CBI also summoned CM Kejriwal in April of this year in connection with the investigation.
Kejriwal was not listed as an accused in the CBI's initial information report, which was filed on August 17, last year.
The CBI arrested Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in February 2023 for suspected irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-cancelled Delhi's new excise policy. The policy was abandoned when the opposition accused the administration of wrongdoing.