Manish Sisodia, the deputy of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, faces corruption allegations in bringing a new liquor sale policy in the national capital
New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia this morning requested the Central Bureau of Investigation for a week’s time to appear for questioning in the liquor policy case. Mr Sisodia and others face corruption allegations.
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- The Deputy Chief Minister told reporters that as finance minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government, he is prepping the Budget for 2023-24. Stressing that he will fully cooperate with the central probe agency, he said it would be better if he was given a week’s time.
- Mr Sisodia is scheduled to visit the CBI headquarters at south Delhi’s Lodhi Road around 11 am. “CBI has called me again tomorrow (Sunday). They have unleashed the full power of CBI, ED (Enforcement Directorate) against me, raided my house, searched my bank locker, and yet found nothing against me,” he tweeted yesterday.
- Mr Sisodia, the deputy of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and others face corruption allegations in bringing a new liquor sale policy in the national capital. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena had ordered the CBI probe last year.
- Thereafter, the Delhi government reverted to the old liquor policy and blamed the Lieutenant Governor for loss of revenue worth crores of rupees that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government claimed would have come if the new policy had continued.
- The BJP said the Delhi government went back to the old liquor sale policy to cover up corruption in the excise department held by Mr Sisodia.
- The AAP alleged the BJP at the centre was behind the Lieutenant Governor’s decision to send the CBI after Mr Sisodia. The liquor policy case soon found itself on top of the long list of friction points between the AAP and the Lieutenant Governor, and by extension the centre.
- For years, Mr Kejriwal’s AAP and the office of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor have fought over who has what kind of power to run the national capital – a Union Territory. Mr Kejriwal, right from the time when he launched the AAP, has had serious disagreements with the Lieutenant Governor’s office concerning territorial boundaries of governance.