Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia became the latest Opposition politician to face a central agency with the CBI on Friday conducting searches at his residence here in connection with a case related to Delhi Excise Policy, an action that immediately acquired political colour as AAP is spreading its wing in poll-bound Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
The agency's searches at Sisodia's residence and 30 other locations in seven states and union territories, including in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gurugaon, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Lucknow, came after it registered a case in connection with alleged irregularities in formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought in November last year that led to alleged loss to the state exchequer.
Searches were also conducted at the premises of three officials, including 2012-batch IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna, a former Excise Commissioner. CBI claimed investigators recovered documents and digital records among others.
The latest action came after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena last month recommended a CBI probe into the new excise policy following a report by the Delhi Chief Secretary that showed "deliberate and gross procedural lapses" to provide "undue benefits to liquor licensees, causing loss to the exchequer."
Under the CBI lens is the allegation that the Excise Department under Sisodia gave a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to licensees on the tendered licence fee citing Covid-19 besides refunding the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate from airport authorities.
This is claimed to be in violation of Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, which mandated that the successful bidder must complete all formalities for the grant of the licence, failing which all deposits made by him shall stand forfeited to the government.
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The new excise policy was implemented from November 17 last year with the government exiting the retail liquor trade and issuing licences to private bidders for 849 vends in 32 zones. Among other things, the new policy slashed the number of dry days to three from 21, allowed bars in hotels and retail licencees to offer rebates and schemes on alcohol.
Amid Opposition finding fault with the ruling BJP for “misusing” central agencies, the latest action has led to a political slugfest with Sisodia saying that the BJP was troubled because of the excellent work done by the Delhi Government in health and education sectors, which is being highlighted by AAP in Gujarat and Himachal as part of its campaign.
"That is why ministers of both departments are targeted to stop us (Sisodia and Sateyndar Jain) from doing good work in the health and education sectors. The allegations against both of us are lies. Truth will come out in court," said Sisodia, who is the second Delhi minister to face a central agency in recent times after Jain’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
Coming out in Sisodia’s support, Kejriwal said the Centre’s action came on a day Delhi's education model was appreciated and his photo appeared on the front page of America's biggest newspaper The New York Times. "Earlier also there were raids and probes. Nothing came out. Nothing will come out now also," he said.
Reacting to the developments, BJP leader and Union Minister Anurag Thakur said, "Arvind Kejriwal should stop treating people as fools and should stop addressing the people of the country. Delhi CM did not even suspend Satyendar Jain when he went to jail. AAP, Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia's real face has come in front of the public today."
"No matter how hard a corrupt person tries to prove himself innocent, he will still remain corrupt. This is not the first case of corruption by AAP. There has been huge corruption in the liquor stores in Delhi," Thakur said.
While AAP went on an offensive against the BJP, the Congress made a subtle comment against the AAP while targeting the ruling BJP, which defended the action saying law will take its own course.
"The flip side to relentless misuse of agencies against political rivals is that even legitimate, rightful actions of agencies come under a cloud of suspicion. In the process, the corrupt get away hiding behind the 'misuse' argument and the honest end up paying the price," Congress Media Department Chairperson Pawan Khera tweeted.