BJP
New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia or other AAP leaders never answered questions related to suspected corruption in the liquor policy, the BJP said on Sunday, asserting that it believes there is merit in the case against the arrested leader.
Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Sisodia must be the only education minister in the world who is involved in liquor scam, and added the entire episode is an eye-opener and shocking.
He said Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, has been rejected bail as there is merit in the case against him despite the AAP’s claim of his innocence.
Similarly, the BJP believes that there is merit in the case against Sisodia, he said.
Patra called Sisodia “liquor minister” and accused him of several irregularities, including a hike in commission for wholesalers to make money for his party through the back door.
Patra also rejected the allegation that politics was behind the arrest, saying probe agencies and parties are two separate entities.
Probe agencies, the BJP leader said, do not work on emotion but look into technicalities and the AAP never answered technical questions about the excise policy its government had brought in the national capital.
He alleged that 45 mobile phones and other evidence were destroyed by the accused in the case.
He asserted that the BJP has zero tolerance for corruption and its fight against corruption will always be on.
Sisodia was arrested after nearly eight hours of questioning as his answers were not satisfactory, officials said.
The AAP leader arrived at the CBI headquarters around 11.12 am for the second round of questioning.
The AAP leader, the accused number one in the CBI FIR, was first questioned on October 17.
This post was last modified on February 26, 2023 10:19 pm