Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been asked to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday for questioning in the now-withdrawn liquor policy of Delhi, which the Central agency is investigating. Mr Sisodia was expected to be questioned yesterday, but he sought more time, citing the Delhi budget due in March on which he is working. Mr Sisodia handles the finance portfolio in the Arvind Kejriwal government. Agreeing to his request, the agency had said that it would announce a fresh date.
Mr Sisodia said the summons for questioning was the BJP’s way of getting even after it failed in its attempt to get nominated members to vote in Delhi’s civic body and thereby control the Mayor elections.
On Friday, the Supreme Court had said the aldermen appointed by the Lieutenant Governor cannot vote in the election to choose a mayor, ending the month-long tussle between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP on the issue.
“The BJP can get me arrested as revenge if they want to, but not by stopping the budget of Delhi’s people… The BJP may have its own politics, but I have full hope that the CBI officers will listen to my request,” Mr Sisodia had told NDTV.
“I will answer every question, am not running away… I am just saying that the work of the budget will be derailed… That’s why I have requested the CBI for time till the end of February,” he had added.
While Mr Sisodia, who heads the excise department, has not been named in the agency chargesheet, his home was searched by the agency last year and he has undergone a seven-hour questioning session.
After the search, Mr Sisodia said the CBI did not find anything — the remark was not challenged by the agency.
The CBI contends that liquor companies were involved in framing of the 2021 liquor policy in exchange for kickbacks. The policy that was formed would have led to a 12 per cent profit for them, of which 6 per cent was routed to public servants through middlemen like Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Bonipally.
The Enforcement Directorate also launched an investigation, alleging laundering of the kickbacks. It claimed a liquor lobby it dubbed the “South Group”, paid at least Rs 100 crore to AAP for its Goa election campaign.
They also questioned K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, another strident critic of the BJP, and arrested her former accountant.
AAP has denied all the allegations, and claimed that it was a diversionary tactic by the BJP to scuttle its campaign for the Gujarat elections. The BJP has swept the polls held in December. AAP won five seats in the BJP-ruled state and scooped up 13 per cent votes, which helped it to be named as a national party.
