The Aam Aadmi Party is set to hold a protest against the BJP over the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor scam case.
The party said it will stage a protest outside the BJP headquarters here today in connection with the matter.
CBI had arrested Sisodia yesterday after eight hours of interrogation and is set to produce him in court today to seek his custody.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj today claimed that the party leaders who were detained yesterday have been arrested and will be produced before the court.
“The Centre has broken all limits of democracy. It arrested Manish Sisodia without any proof due to political reasons. You have arrested the entire leadership of our party except for Arvind Kejriwal and some others. Many of the leaders are detained since last afternoon. Under which sections are they detained for so long? The police will produce them before the court because the police have shown their arrest,” Bharadwaj told ANI.
He further claimed that the government has arrested the entire leadership of the AAP.
“It is not detention but arrest under the instructions of the Centre. The police have arrested the entire leadership. We will protest outside the BJP office today as all the instructions are being given from there,” he claimed.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Parvesh Verma said that the AAP did not even once defend its liquor policy yesterday.
“Yesterday, nobody including Kejriwal said that their policy was good. They did not defend their policy. He should answer on the liquor scam. It is a win of the people of Delhi. I congratulate CBI for arresting the mastermind of the scam after a long investigation. Kejriwal has been safe because he does not head any department despite being the Chief Minister. His move was giving all the departments to his ministers, and those going to jails will also be the ministers so that he can be safe,” he said while speaking to ANI.
The CBI on Sunday had said that Sisodia was giving evasive replies and not cooperating in the investigation. The probe agency also said that Sisodia was earlier called on February 19 for investigation, but he sought time for seven days.
“The Deputy CM was issued a notice under section 41A of CrPC for attending the investigation on February 19, 2023. However, he sought time of one week citing his pre-occupation.
Accepting his request, he was issued a notice u/s 41A CrPC for attending the investigation on February 26, 2023, for answering various questions evaded by him during his examination on October 17, 2022, and further questions relating to his incriminating role based on evidence collected during investigation of the case. However, he gave evasive replies and did not co-operate the investigation despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary. Therefore, he has been arrested,” the statement read.
“The arrested accused will be produced before the Designated Court, Delhi,” it added further.
Sisodia was arrested by CBI on Sunday after eight-hour-long questioning in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped excise policy of GNCTD.
Shortly before arriving at the CBI office for questioning, the Deputy Chief Minister said false cases are being lodged against leaders of the party as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “afraid” of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
