Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has hit out at the Centre for the CBI raid conducted at his house in the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, and claimed that the CBI investigation will not be able to unearth anything as he has not indulged in corruption. In an interview with News18, Sisodia said the BJP government was not interested in stemming corruption but wanted to stop Arvind Kejriwal’s work in the field of health and education.
“They (BJP) are interested in just one thing — how to stop Arvind Kejriwal’s work in health and education. They have tried to stop Arvind Kejriwal so many times, but he goes on working towards making the country number 1. Modi ji, however, is preoccupied with where to use the CBI and ED, and how to topple governments,” Sisodia told News18.
After Kejriwal positioned himself as the main challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for 2024 polls with the launch of the ‘Make India Number 1’ campaign at Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium a few days ago, Sisodia said the people of the country are looking at the AAP convener, and want to give him one chance because “he knows how to work”.
The CBI had conducted searches at Sisodia’s house and booked him in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy. The FIR named Sisodia accused number 1, while 14 others have also been named.
After reports surfaced that a lookout notice has been issued against Sisodia, the CBI on Sunday clarified that “as of now” no circular has been issued.
Edited interview:
Q. A lookout notice has been issued against you, and you have reacted angrily to that.
A: No, I actually feel like laughing. You raided my house for 14 hours, and found nothing. Your raids have failed. Now, you are issuing a lookout notice. What lookout notice? I am here, in my own residence. You tell me where I should meet you and I will meet you there. This investigation will not be able to unearth anything as we have not indulged in any corruption. This is the reason why we are so confident. This is why we have said we will cooperate fully in the investigation. We also want these investigations to be completed soon so that they are fully exposed.
Q. You are confident but the FIR says you went ahead and implemented the Delhi excise policy without taking the approval of a competent authority?
A: BJP is levelling all kinds of allegations. It is saying we have indulged in corruption to the tune of Rs 8,000 crore, sometimes, Rs 11,000 crore, Rs 144 crore, and Rs 30 crore. When they filed the FIR, they said one company has given another company Rs 1 crore in white and that is Manish Sisodia’s corruption. After so much noise, they have filed this FIR. Please! investigate all allegations. We know that we have not indulged in any corruption and how will you prove this. But we also know why are you doing this. We know that you are not interested in any investigation or the excise policy. If you were worried about that you would have taken action in Gujarat where there is a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore, where people have lost their lives in the hooch tragedy. If you were interested in corruption, then the CBI and ED would have raided those places where the road, (Budelkhand Expressway), built at the cost of thousands of crores of rupees, collapsed days after the Prime Minister inaugurated it.
They are interested in just one thing — how to stop Arvind Kejriwal’s work in health and education. They have tried to stop Arvind Kejriwal so many times, but he goes on working towards making the country number 1. Modi ji, however, is preoccupied with where to use the CBI, ED, and how to topple governments.
Q. Your response to this crisis is political. The opposition is constantly targeting you as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is not answering any specific question. Why was Rs 144 crore waived? Why was Rs 30 crore handed back? You are not talking about those issues?
A: Isn’t it they who have filed the FIR? In this FIR, they have said, as per sources, A company has transferred Rs1 crore to Company B and that is the corruption that Sisodia has indulged in. Please investigate that. What more specific answer can I give? I know the specifics — the road that the PM inaugurated, a road worth thousands of crores of rupees, collapsed in a few days. Why has the CBI enquiry not been initiated in that? Has the country not lost resources on that? Has the country not faced ridicule because of that? That the PM inaugurated a road and it collapsed within five days and the PM does not say anything, not a word, nor a tweet.
Today, there is a notice against Sisodia, and the other day, there was a raid against Sisodia. This is what the PM of the country is doing.
Q. Why don’t you tell our readers why did you have to waive Rs 144 crore?
A: If it is wrong, then why doesn’t it find mention in the FIR? Should the FIR not have a mention of that. But go ahead and investigate that also. This is my claim that there is no corruption in this policy, neither in the making nor in its implementation. This FIR and the raid at my house are proofs. But why are you so anxious to stop Kejriwal ahead of the 2024 elections? Say it openly that you are scared of him. Today, the people of the country are looking at Kejriwal, and want to give him one chance because he knows how to work. He talks about inflation, unemployment, education and health. And that is why they want to give an opportunity to Kejriwal.
Q. The BJP has alleged if AAP’s excise policy was good, why did it withdraw it?
A: The BJP has to answer that question. Why did the BJP make the Lieutenant Governor take a U-turn on a policy that he had approved two days before? Why is there no CBI investigation on this? Why does the BJP not answer this question? They also don’t have any interest in the loss of revenue in Delhi’s excise policy.
Q. BJP leaders have said this claim of yours is laughable — that Arvind Kejriwal is the chief minister of Delhi, AAP has a government in Punjab, but it failed to achieve significant gains in Goa and Uttarakhand?
A: It is rather unfortunate that the country’s Prime Minister is preoccupied with where the CBI was sent and how to increase the duration of the raid from 14 hours to 18 hours. If nothing is found in an 18-hour raid, how to send a lookout notice and file an FIR.
But then there is Arvind Kejriwal who is constantly thinking about how to tackle unemployment and inflation, and is building schools and hospitals.
There is a competition between the two leaders and people are talking about this. People are talking about Arvind Kejriwal making the country number 1 in health and education and employment. Modi ji is not even talking about that. He is talking about making Manish Sisodia number 1 in the FIR.
Q. Are you prepared for an arrest? That you may have to go to jail, and the case may be dragged for long. What impact will this have on the government and AAP?
A: We have a commitment — we are ready to stake our lives but will not stop working on issues of health, education, unemployment and inflation. The work of the people in Delhi and Punjab will continue. Only if you kill us, the work may stop, not until then.
Q: The BJP and opposition parties have alleged that whenever you are asked specific questions on the liquor policy, you start talking about health and education?
A: Are you interested in stemming corruption? Or knowing about corruption in the excise policy? If you want to know the corruption in the excise policy then answer this — why was there a U-turn on the policy just two days ahead of implementation, which resulted in such a huge loss? Why has investigation not been initiated on that?
Q. Are you fully confident that there is nothing wrong in the excise policy? No corruption or any criminal intent?
A: My God, my people and I know that there is no wrongdoing in the excise policy.
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