New Delhi:

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.

AAP has claimed that the arrest of Mr Sisodia this evening in connection with the now-withdrawn liquor policy, is political retaliation to its failure in getting Delhi’s mandate.

“Manish Sisodia, other AAP leaders never explained why they withdrew excise policy after corruption was flagged… Delhi excise policy was leaked to liquor-contractor ‘friends’ by AAP before it was sent to group of ministers,” Mr Patra told reporters at a press conference this evening. “AAP spread liquor culture in Delhi and lost liquor money in election campaign,” he added.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “He may have done work on education. But that doesn’t mean he should indulge in corruption in liquor policy”.

The reference was to Mr Sisodia’s education and finance portfolios, two areas that AAP cites as reason for its huge popularity. AAP has won two sweeping victories in Delhi in face of BJP challenge and had a landslide victory in neighbouring Punjab last year.  

“Black day for democracy! BJP’s CBI arrested the world’s best education minister Manish Sisodia in a fake case, who is shaping the future of lakhs of children. The BJP has made this arrest due to political rivalry,” read a rough translation of AAP’s Hindi tweet after the arrest. The party has dubbed it an attack on governance in Delhi and Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr Sisodia and others face corruption allegations in bringing a new liquor sale policy in the national capital. The CBI contends that liquor companies were involved in framing of the 2021 policy, for which kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore were paid by a liquor lobby it dubbed the “South Group”.

The policy would have led to a 12 per cent profit for them, of which 6 per cent was routed to public servants through middlemen, the agency claimed. The Enforcement Directorate has also launched an investigation, alleging laundering of the kickbacks. After the policy was scrapped, the BJP said the Delhi government went back to the old liquor sale policy to cover up the corruption.