CBI arrests Manish Sisodia after marathon questioning

Manish Sisodia, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was on Sunday arrested after a marathon eight-hour questioning by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scam.

“Even if I am in jail for 7-8 months, don’t feel sorry for me, be proud. PM [Narendra] Modi is afraid of Arvind Kejriwal, so he wants to frame me in a fake case. You should fight on. My wife, who has stood by me from Day 1, is unwell and alone at home. Take care of her. And I want to tell children of Delhi, study hard and listen to your parents,” Sisodia told supporters before leaving for the CBI office.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s arrest by the CBI in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam case is a welcome step, Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary said on Sunday, claiming that the AAP “used power to accumulate wealth”. He alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should also be arrested as he was the mastermind of the “corrupt deal”.

The BJP has hit out at the Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party following its claims that the Central Bureau of Investigation is being misused by the Centre, following the arrest of Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. “Event management can’t Save AAP from the law,” said the BJP’s Sambit Patra, questioning why AAP chose to withdraw the controversial liquor policy when his party questioned it.

Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann arrived at Manish Sisodia’s house, in a sign of solidarity, soon after his deputy was arrested by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scam.

Manish Sisodia is the second minister from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be arrested by a central agency in less than a year. Sisodia’s colleague and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain was the first AAP minister to be arrested by a central agency in May last year. The AAP has accused the BJP-led centre of using the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to harass them.
With inputs from NDTV

IPA Special