New Delhi: It is now incumbent on the part of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to tell the Supreme Court and people the whereabouts of Rs 338 crore in the excise case against former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, the BJP said on Monday, targeting AAP on the court’s observation that money transfer was tentatively established.
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi mocked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal, saying he had claimed that Sisodia should be given Bharat Ratna for his work but his bail plea in the corruption case has been dismissed six times.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court rejected Sisodia’s regular bail plea in corruption and money-laundering cases related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam and said the transfer of Rs 338 crore was tentatively established in the matter.
Trivedi said it is now constitutionally and legally incumbent upon Kejriwal to inform the court where the money is and morally incumbent on him to tell the people as well.
“It is said that people waste their money on liquor, the Delhi government has wasted the public exchequer on it,” he said.
The BJP leader accused Kejriwal of engaging in brazenness and drama, noting that AAP leaders even went to Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial to vouch for their party’s honesty in the alleged scam.
They dragged Gandhi into this even though he stood for prohibition and his birth anniversary is a designated dry day, he added.
While denying bail to Sisodia, a bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti on Monday said, “In the analysis, there are certain aspects which we have said are doubtful. But one aspect with regard to the transfer of money Rs 338 crore tentatively is established. We have, therefore, dismissed the applications for bail.” The Aam Aadmi Party said it respects the Supreme Court but does not agree with its order dismissing Sisodia’s bail plea and will explore further legal options.
Trivedi claimed that the growing scale of corruption in the AAP government is being established gradually as first former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was nabbed in a money laundering case followed by the arrest of Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who is the AAP’s parliamentary party leader, in the excise case.
Amit Arora, one of the co-accused in the case, has already claimed that Kejriwal was present during the conversation related to the liquor deal, which has come under probe by the CBI and the ED, he said, claiming that the central agencies will investigate objectively.
