The arrest of the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Manish Sisodia has sparked outrage among citizens and political leaders alike. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has condemned the BJP’s actions, calling it an attack on democracy and accusing the ruling party of crushing the hopes of millions of Indians. This sentiment was echoed by AAP Chief Spokesperson Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj, who asserted that the BJP had pressured the investigative agencies to arrest Sisodia under any possible charge. AAP MLA Shri Dilip Pandey compared the situation to the British colonial era, stating that the BJP’s arrogance of power has led to a similar outcome. While AAP Senior Leader Shri Jasmine Shah said that the arrest has sparked outrage and concern across the country, with citizens and opposition leaders demanding his immediate release. The real response to the BJP will come from the people of the country, from the streets to the parliament, the AAP has warned.
Addressing a press conference after the arrest of Shri Manish Sisodia, AAP Chief Spokesperson Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that over a year ago, AAP had held a press conference when the investigation in a case related to Shri Satyendar Jain was going on and had said that he would be arrested in the matter. The BJP dismissed the allegations and said that AAP is saying all of this just to gain sympathy. But a few weeks later he was arrested on some flimsy charges. At that point AAP had also said that Shri Manish Sisodia would be targeted next as he is the No. 2 in the party and the Delhi government. Again the BJP dismissed the charges and said that this was all just to gain sympathies and the result is there for everyone to see today.
He added that the BJP pressured the investigative agencies to arrest Shri Manish Sisodia under any possible charge and therefore the CBI today arrested him. He further added that this entire narrative is false and a simple case of propaganda and went on to narrate what would happen in the court in this matter. He also said that all the investigative agencies in the country at present are working on a script that is written in the headquarters of the BJP and none of them are worried about their constitutional duties.
He also went on to narrate what is likely to take place in court tomorrow and over the next couple of days and said that this is nothing else but the misuse of the institution of the CBI and other investigative agencies. He explained that the Dy CM has been arrested by the CBI at the moment without any single piece of evidence against him and said that no documentary evidence or cash trail was found from his office, residence or any other place. But what will happen next has become a sort of a modus operandi of the investigative agencies under the BJP-ruled Central Government.
He said that the agencies first call a political opponent – for instance Shri Manish Sisodia in this case – for questioning a couple of times and then let the person go back home. Then later they approach the court and say that “Shri Manish Sisodia is not cooperating with us”. Based on this the CBI will ask for custodial interrogation of Shri Manish Sisodia and the court is likely to allow it for a couple of days. After that the CBI will once again repeat that “Shri Manish Sisodia did not cooperate with us” and it will get the custody for a couple more days. After this, they are likely to say that “Shri Manish Sisodia is an influential person and can influence the case” and then ask for a judicial custody of the Dy CM.
Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj said that there is a long time period given to the CBI to file a charge sheet and reminded the public that in the previous two charge sheets that have been filed in the case the name of the Deputy CM of Delhi did not appear. But he added that now the CBI will most likely file another charge sheet and with this pretext it will keep Shri Manish Sisodia in jail for a couple of months. He said that this has been the modus operandi of the investigative agencies under this BJP-controlled Central Government and that it has targeted its political opponents with this tactic.
He elaborated that in the past the governments did not misuse the agencies and at that time they required proof to arrest a person. He pointed out that a person like Shri Manish Sisodia holds 22 departments of the Delhi Government and is responsible for passing the Delhi Budget the next week, and said that it is a loss to the state government and the public to target a person who has such important responsibilities towards the government.
Hitting out strongly at the BJP, Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj told the media persons to remember this press conference and said that what the BJP has gone on to do today will bring a brutal end to their misrule in the country. He further explained that the anger of the people towards the BJP is such that it will be wiped out from the political scene of this country and it will be AAP that will take its place in the near future. He also predicted that Shri Arvind Kejriwal will be remembered as the person who will bring an end to the misrule of Shri Narendra Modi.
He went on to add that the BJP is not afraid of Shri Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party as they know that they can go on to break the party even if it comes to power. But the BJP is aware that they cannot do the same if the Shri Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP comes to power. They have tried time and again to break AAP in Delhi, but have failed. The BJP is also aware that AAP has become popular across the country and has won Punjab and made a dent in Gujarat, while it was believed to be the ‘den of the BJP’. AAP also has MLAs in Goa and will soon go on to fight the elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj added that AAP will spread across the country and fight the BJP eye to eye in every state where it is present.
Shri Saurabh Bhardwaj concluded by saying that the people of the country will remember this day when the Education Minister of Delhi and the future Education Minister of the country Shri Manish Sisodia was arrested by the BJP and added that the people will never forgive the BJP for what they have done today.
Terming the arrest as “the beginning of the end for the BJP,” AAP MLA Shri Dilip Pandey said that the country has witnessed a flagrant demonstration of BJP’s conceit. While drawing parallels between Shri Sisodia’s arrest and the fatal lathi-charge on Lala Lajpat Rai by the British, he stated that history was being repeated in Delhi. The British had the arrogance of power then, and it is the BJP today, he added.
In addition to the AAP leaders, the citizens of the country have also expressed their anger and unrest over Shri Manish Sisodia’s arrest. According to Shri Dilip Pandey, he received dozens of calls from different regions of the country where AAP has not even contested elections yet. The citizens who had hopes that AAP would bring about a transformation in their region’s schools and provide quality education for their children now feel their dreams have been dashed, he said.
Senior AAP Leader Shri Jasmine Shah stated that the arrest of Shri Manish Sisodia has exposed the disarray in the CBI, ED, and the Income Tax Department under BJP rule. These agencies, which were once feared by criminals, have now been completely discredited, and citizens are aware that these agencies are directed by the BJP office.
Shri Jasmine Shah reiterated that the state of the legal system in India today is no better than in the Emergency era. He further added that history will bear witness to the fact that the BJP declared an unannounced state of emergency in India on February 26, 2023, with the arrest of Shri Sisodia, despite the fact that no documentary, video, or picture evidence was presented against him. The BJP has declared to the country that it will be run solely from the BJP party office, not the constitution or the laws.
