‘Signs of Emergency’, Says AAP; Holds Protests Across States Against Sisodia’s Arrest

New Delhi: Protests were held in various states by the Aam Aadmi party (AAP) in against the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday in connection with an alleged corruption case related to the now scrapped Delhi liquor policy.

AAP members and supporters held demonstrations in front of BJP offices in Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa, Haryana among others. In Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress, too, condemned Sisodia’s arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A special CBI court has remanded him in five-day custody of CBI till March 4.

The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22.

In Delhi, reacting to the arrest, hundreds of AAP supporters assembled at the national headquarters at Rouse Avenue to protest in front of the BJP national headquarters. The supporters said the arrest had come in the wake of AAP’s strong electoral performance in MCD elections, Gujarat, Punjab and other states, and claimed the saffron party was seeing them as a “potential challenger”.

Sandeep Mishra, a trader who came from Shahdara along with his daughter, told NewsClick that there had been persistent attacks on party leaders and the arrest of Sisodia was the latest in the series.

“First, Satyender Jain was arrested by Enforcement Directorate on flimsy charges. Same thing has been applied in this case too. They wish to bring down both columns of good governance in Delhi; education and health. A common family is saving up to Rs 10,000 per month because they have to spend less on electricity, education and health. The budget of a common family strengthened and they returned the favour by voting for AAP in large numbers. BJP envies that.”

When asked about the liquor policy and shops in residential areas, Mishra said policy was implemented when last Lt Governor gave his nod. “The shops in residential areas were opened only when RWAs gave their approval. Second, we called off the policy before High Court struck it down. So, it’s a clear case of persecution.”

Rahul Verma, organising secretary, Delhi High Court, told NewsClick that it was very clear that investigative agencies, like CBI, were being used to harass Opposition leaders. “If we are to go by criminal jurisprudence, it is assumed that every person is innocent until proven guilty. For BJP it’s a different yardstick where every person is guilty. If we look at the data by NCRB, we see hardly any conviction. We are a growing political force and BJP cannot digest that,” he said. 

Signs of Emergency, Says AAP 

Meanwhile, the AAP alleged that 80% of its leaders were illegally detained by the Delhi Police since Sunday, and questioned whether anyone can be kept in detention for more than 24 hours. 

According to police, the leaders detained on Sunday were being released on Monday. The Delhi Police comes directly under the Union Home Ministry. 

Addressing a press conference, AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the long detention was illegal and drew a parallel between former prime minister Indira Gandhi's emergency era and the present.

 "Since yesterday, the Aam Aadmi Party has been repeatedly saying that not only has Manish Sisodia ji been arrested, but almost 80% of the leadership of the party has been arrested by police. When asked, the Central government is saying that they have only been detained," he said. 

"I want to know whether the detention is of one hour, two hours or three hours. Now, it will be 24 hours, can police detain such big leaders for 24 hours? There is no such provision in the law," he opined. 

Noting that it is "illegal" to detain someone for such a long duration, he said, by now, the leaders should have been presented in the court. 

"By now, you (government) should have presented them in the court and revealed the reasons and the sections under which you have arrested a Rajya Sabha MP? Delhi's senior leader Gopal Rai has been detained. Adil Ahmed Khan who looks after the work of the organisation has also been arrested. Dozens of MLAs and elected councillors have been arrested by police since yesterday. They spent the whole night in the police station. The police hasn't released them yet," he claimed.

Bhardwaj said these are "signs of emergency" and the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is doing what Indira Gandhi did when she imposed emergency in 1975.

Questioning the need for Sisodia's arrest, he said CBI has all the files but nothing was found against him.

"I want to know what was the need to make the arrest now. Was he running away from the country? He didn't run in the last 10 months, why would he run now? Was he influencing anyone or destroying evidence? He had many opportunities in the last eight months and he could have done it but when he didn't do it then why would he do it now," he said.

Bhardwaj said that former LG Anil Baijal, who approved and notified the liquor policy, should also be questioned.

"The biggest thing that we came to know in the newspapers is that there is corruption in the policy that has been made. Everyone knows that it was former LG Anil Baijal who had approved and notified the policy. Baijal was appointed by the Centre itself. If he approved this policy then what is CBI doing for the last 10 months. Why didn't the CBI interrogate him?" he asked.

The BJP, however, maintained that CBI was acting lawfully against the "corrupt".

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia described the AAP as "Arajak Apradh Party" (anarchic, criminal party) and said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to have taken oath on the Constitution to destroy it.