Hours after the BJP released what it called a "sting operation" to claim the AAP government in Delhi framed its liquor policy to help a select few, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia threw a challenge in response.
"BJP should give this so-called sting to the CBI, which anyway is working like an external agency of the party. In the next four days — till Monday — the CBI should arrest me if there's any proof of corruption in this 'sting'," Mr Sisodia said to reporters' questions. "If they don't, that'll be proof that this is an attempt to overthrow our government by the BJP. Just an attempt to malign us."
Manish Sisodia has been raided and named an accused by the CBI after Delhi Lieutenant Governor ordered a probe into the New Excise Policy in July. That same month, Arvind Kejriwal's government withdrew the policy, which had come into force in November last year and brought private players into liquor trade. The AAP said the policy was for more revenue "but scuttled by the BJP's central government using the Lieutenant Governor".
The BJP says kickbacks were taken for contracts.
In the latest back-and-forth today, the BJP showed a secretly-recorded video in which a person — also named in the FIR — is claiming that the Delhi government deliberately kept smaller players out of its "tailormade" excise policy to help a few persons. It shared the video — not independently verified by NDTV — on Twitter as well.
"Bribes from the contractors were used for the AAP's poll campaigns in Goa and Punjab," BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged.
He underlined how Arvind Kejriwal would tell people to "do a sting" on those seeking money illegally and "promised he would act".
He said the "sting" video was already public and not recorded by the BJP.
Manish Sisodia responded at a press conference about an hour later: "Raids at my house and bank locker have found nothing. I urge the CBI to investigate thoroughly." He was originally speaking about alleged inefficiency of BJP-run municipal bodies in Delhi, but then took questions.
He repeated the allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "using central agencies to try and scare opposition parties". "We have nothing to hide."
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