BJP offered to shut cases if I rolled over: Sisodia
Booked along with several excise officials over alleged corruption in excise policy, Delhi's Deputy CM Manish Sisodia claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had contacted him to join the party saying all cases against him would be closed. Sisodia has tweeted saying all cases against him were false, and he won't bow down as he is a Rajput and a descendant of Maharana Pratap.
Why does this story matter?
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Sisodia's house on Friday regarding alleged corruption in the Delhi liquor policy. Allegations over the recently dropped liquor sale policy have triggered a dispute between the Delhi government and Lieutenant-Governor (LG) VK Saxena, who had sought a CBI investigation into it. Implemented in November 2021, the policy privatized the sale of alcoholic beverages and closed government-run stores.
Won't bow down, says Sisodia
'A company sending money to another is termed as proof'
In an interview with The Indian Express, Sisodia said that his crime was being the education minister in Arvind Kejriwal's cabinet. He questioned the manner in which the raids were conducted and the lack of coherence in the figures being quoted by the CBI. Sisodia claimed that some company's transfer of money to another company's bank account was termed as evidence against him.
'Crackdown on our good work'
Sisodia claimed good work was being done in the health sector by the Delhi government, and thus, Health Minister Satyendar Jain was arrested earlier. Referring to The New York Times's report praising the Kejriwal government's education model, he said his house was raided the very same day the report was published. "Let them investigate," he said, adding that nothing has been proved yet.
Phone, computer seized, can't use WhatsApp
Speaking about the CBI raids, Sisodia said that apart from searching his house, the officers also confiscated his phone and computer, along with some files. He said he was unable to use WhatsApp associated with his number. Notably, hours after the raid at his house, a dozen top-level bureaucrats and 70 ad hoc Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Services (DANICS) officers were transferred.
What is the CBI probing?
The CBI is looking into three allegations: -The new policy resulted in a massive loss for the public coffers. -Retail outlets were given to ineligible players. -The AAP government reportedly profited from kickbacks and "commissions." On July 30, Sisodia, who oversees the excise department, announced a reversal of the policy and stated that starting August 1, only government establishments would sell alcohol in Delhi.
