Manish Sisodia in CBI custody. How his arrest united opposition leaders

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[google-translator]

While in the past, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that the notion of “Opposition unity” to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party “doesn’t work”, it seems the arrest of his deputy Manish Sisodia in the alleged liquor scam has brought together opposition parties on the common cause ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia waves at supporters on Sunday.(PTI)
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia waves at supporters on Sunday.(PTI)

Last year, Kejriwal had said political leaders will not make an alliance that can make India number one. “We must gather all 130 crore people of India to make this country number one,” he said said.

Without naming anyone or any particular case, the Congress on Monday alleged that institutions like the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department have become instruments of “political vendetta” under the Narendra Modi government and opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation.

Also Read | Manish Sisodia moves SC against arrest by CBI in Delhi liquor ‘scam’; CJI to hear matter today

The assertion came on a day a special court sent the Delhi deputy chief minister to five-day CBI remand after the agency sought his custody for effective interrogation to unravel the alleged scam in the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. Sisodia was arrested on Sunday after around eight hours of questioning by the CBI.

“The Congress has always held the belief that institutions like ED, CBI and Income Tax Department have become instruments of political vendetta and harassment under Modi Sarkar,” Ramesh tweeted.

“These institutions have lost all professionalism. Opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation,” Ramesh added.

Hitting out at the BJP-led central government, the CPIML(L) said the arrest of Sisodia was an assault on democracy. In a statement, CPIML(L) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said Sisodia was arrested on the “flimsy pretext” of non-cooperation.

“In yet another arrogant assault on democracy, the Modi government has once again used the institutions of CBI and ED to pursue its politics of vendetta,” Bhattacharya said.

Having lost the MCD elections and the bid to capture the mayoral posts by “hook or crook”, the Modi-Shah regime has now resorted to this “unscrupulous misuse” of the central agencies, he said.

“At a time when the whole world is questioning the Modi government’s conspicuous silence about the Adani scam… the government is desperately trying to terrorise the opposition,” Bhattacharya alleged.

He said the CPIML(L) strongly condemns the arrest of Sisodia, appealing to the people to rise in protest.

Ramesh’s party colleague and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said “many Sisodias” have been arrested in the country but people don’t get to know about them.

There is “terror” of CBI), ED, and Income Tax department in the country, while the judiciary and Election Commission are under pressure, he claimed.

“Many Manish Sisodias have been arrested in the country,” Gehlot told reporters in Sikar in response to a question.

People don’t find out about them. They found out about Sisodia’s arrest because he is a deputy chief minister, he said.

“There are many such instances where journalists, writers and litterateurs have been put behind bars. The general public will have to think about what is happening in the country,” he said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed that “people of Delhi will respond by defeating BJP in 2024 election”.

“By arresting Manish Sisodia ji, who brought revolutionary changes in the field of education in Delhi, the BJP has proved it is not only against education but also against the future of the children of Delhi. People of Delhi will respond by defeating BJP in all the seven seats in the next Lok Sabha election (referring to the parliamentary seats in the national capital),” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, has hit out at the AAP, terming the party’s demonstration as “a drama” and show of “anarchy”.

“The CBI (Central Bureau Investigation) is acting lawfully against the corrupt but the AAP does not seem to believe in law, Constitution and the people,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told a press conference.

Hitting out at Kejriwal, he said, “Everyone knows that Sisodia holds the portfolio of many departments. What kind of drama is being played? Kejriwal seems to have taken oath on the Constitution to destroy it.”

The AAP has called the CBI’s action against Sisodia a “politically motivated move”.

(With inputs from agencies)


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