NEW DELHI: The AAP workers on Monday staged protests against the arrest of Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam in many places across the country including Punjab, UP, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In New Delhi, hundreds of protesters including senior leaders like Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj and others gathered to protest at the BJP headquarters amidst heavy security.
Sisodia has been sent to five-day CBI custody till March 4. Political leaders across the political spectrum excluding the Congress had condemned Sisodia’s arrest and said it was a misuse of the probe agency. On the Congress’ stance, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, “Congress and BJP are of the same nature, the Congress also misused the probe agency in the same manner.”
“You are trying to intimidate us, but first check the history of AAP. We will not get intimidated like this as this party took birth from protests,” he added. Earlier in the day, AAP’s national convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “I am told that most CBI officers were against Manish’s arrest. All of them have huge respect for him and there is no evidence against him. But the political pressure to arrest him was so high that they had to obey their political masters.”
Atishi hit out at PM Narendra Modi for running the country like a dictator and alleged that on Monday, personnel belonging to Delhi Police openly entered the Aam Aadmi Party office and dragged out party workers. Terming the development as ‘vendetta politics’, minister Gopal Rai said, “The scrapped excise policy was approved by former Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, he should also be interrogated and probed by the agency.”
“Sisodia is getting punished as he is a friend of Arvind Kejriwal, while Adani benefited as he is a friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If investigating agencies are fair then they should at least send a notice to AAP,” he added.