Highlights
- The expressway was put under the radar after it developed cracks within five days of inauguration
- Sisodia said his party was not scared of any investigation
- Sisodia said the central probe agency should investigate scams in Gujarat
Delhi excise policy scam: Facing heat in the excise policy case, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the CBI raids do not scare him but asked the central agency to probe the alleged scam in Bundelkhand Expressway construction. The expressway was put under the radar after it developed cracks within five days of inauguration.
In an interview with PTI, Sisodia said his party was not scared of any investigation and asserted that the scams being alleged by BJP leaders were nothing but "shagufe (lies)". On Saturday, the deputy chief minister said he might be arrested in two to four days. He is among 15 people and entities who have been named in an FIR registered by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy.
Recently, based on a report submitted by the Delhi chief secretary, Lt Governor V K Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into the Kejriwal government's Excise Policy, 2021-22, over alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses. Claiming that he was unaware of any report, Sisodia said, "The BJP, CBI, L-G, and the chief secretary are all hand in glove. They only have one goal – to stop Kejriwal or else the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will be out of their (BJP) reach."
Alleging scams in Gujarat and in the construction of the Bundelkhand Expressway, Sisodia said the central probe agency should investigate them. "The CBI should investigate the scam of Rs 10,000 crore happening every year in Gujarat, where prohibition is in place but still people are dying by consuming illicit liquor. The Bundelkhand Expressway caved in five days after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi.
"It has brought disgrace to the nation. There was corruption involved. You should investigate us and everyone else also. We are not against investigation or probe," the deputy chief minister said. Asked about the Delhi excise policy and the various allegations, he said he would not comment on the nitty-gritty of the policy since the matter is being probed. Sisodia, however, said that the reason behind former L-G Anil Baijal changing his stand over the policy at the last minute should be investigated.
"I won't answer about the nitty-gritty of the excise policy. Sometimes they say Rs 1,000 crore scam has happened, sometimes Rs 8,000 crore scam has happened and sometimes they say the scam is of Rs 140 crore. Sisodia added, "The CBI FIR says there was some money transaction between two companies that is being probed. What do I have to do with the companies? You can keep on investigating. All the political allegations are BJP's shagufe."
The deputy chief minister, who also heads the excise department, said the probe should not be focussed on stopping Kejriwal. "If you have an interest in probing the scam, you should probe who was behind the conspiracy to change the former L-G's stand on the policy just two days before its implementation," he said.
Earlier this month, Sisodia had accused former L-G Anil Baijal of changing his stand over the opening of liquor vends in unauthorised areas and claimed that it led to a loss of thousands of crores to the city government. The deputy chief minister had said he sent details of the matter to the CBI and asked for a probe into it.
In a hard-hitting statement issued on August 9, Baijal rejected Sisodia's allegations as "baseless" and "falsehoods perpetrated by a desperate man to save his skin". The former L-G had said Sisodia was trying to find an alibi for the "acts of commission and omission" committed by him and his colleagues. Sisodia had on Saturday claimed that he was likely to be arrested in a couple of days by the CBI. On being asked about it, he said, "Even if I am arrested, the good work by the AAP government in education and health sectors will continue."
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