Highlights
- Manish Sisodia was grilled for over 9 hours in the Delhi Liquor Policy case
- Sisodia alleged that he was asked to leave AAP or else such cases will be filed against him
- Pressure was put on me to quit AAP. I was offered Delhi CM's post or face jail term, Sisodia alleged
Delhi Liquor Policy case: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday claimed that during his questioning by the CBI, he was asked to leave the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or else such cases will keep getting registered against him.
Speaking to the media, Sisodia said he was told during the questioning "Satyendar Kumar ke upar konse sache cases hai..."
"I was asked inside the CBI office to leave (AAP), or else such cases will keep getting registered against me. I was told 'Satyendar Jain ke upar konse sachhe cases hain?'... I said I won't leave AAP for BJP. They said they'll make me CM," Sisodia alleged after leaving CBI headquarters after over 9 hours of questioning.
"BJP says there is a Rs 10,000 crore excise scam, I found there was no scam and case is fake," Manish Sisodia said.
"Pressure was put on me to quit AAP. I was offered Delhi CM's post or face jail term," he said.
Sisodia had arrived at the agency's headquarters around 11.15 am and was taken straight to the first floor of the anti-corruption branch, they said.
The deputy chief minister was grilled for over nine hours on various aspects of the Delhi government's excise policy, his relations with other accused, including businessman Vijay Nair, and documents recovered during searches in the case, the officials said.
The CBI has also questioned Raghava Reddy, the son of YSRCP Lok Sabha MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, in the case, they said.
Hitting out at Sisodia, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, "Have you ever seen any corrupt person come out post-interrogation & accept that he was corrupt & apologize for it? This is 'Operation Non-Cooperation'. We don't know what the questions were, but as per common sense, he would've been asked why he took back excise policy."
Meanwhile, CBI in its statement said, "Manish Sisodia was today examined in connection with the ongoing investigation in Delhi Excise Policy case. He was examined strictly on the allegations in the FIR and the evidence collected so far during the course of investigation. His statement will be verified in due course and further action taken as per requirements of investigation."
"Some sections of the media have aired a video in which, after leaving the CBI office, Manish Sisodia has stated on camera that during his questioning in CBI, he was threatened to leave his political party and similar such insinuations," the statement said.
"CBI strongly refutes these allegations and reiterates that examination of Sisodia was carried out in a professional and legal manner strictly as per the allegations against him in the FIR. The investigation of the case will continue as per law," the central probing agency added.
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