Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party offered him the Chief Minister's post if he broke the Aam Aadmi Party. Sisodia said he was surprised when someone came to him with a message that he has two offers from the BJP.

"The messenger said one was that all big cases registered against you by CBI-ED will be taken back. The other offer was that I break the party and they will make you chief minister, the AAP leader claimed.

Earlier in the day, Sisodia tweeted, "I am a Rajput, a descendant of Maharana Pratap. I will cut off my head but will not bow down in front of the corrupt, conspirators. All the cases against me are false. Do whatever you want to do."

मेरे पास भाजपा का संदेश आया है- “आप” तोड़कर भाजपा में आ जाओ, सारे CBI ED के केस बंद करवा देंगेमेरा भाजपा को जवाब- मैं महाराणा प्रताप का वंशज हूँ, राजपूत हूँ। सर कटा लूँगा लेकिन भ्रष्टाचारियो-षड्यंत्रकारियोंके सामने झुकूँगा नहीं। मेरे ख़िलाफ़ सारे केस झूठे हैं।जो करना है कर लो

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 22, 2022

On August 19, the Central Bureau of Investigation raided the residence of Sisodia and 30 other locations in Delhi-NCR and seven other states in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of Excise Policy 2021-22. Sisodia had said the agency seized his computer and mobile phone after several hours of search and also took away some files. He asserted that he was not involved in any wrongdoing and is not scared of the CBI.

Sisodia alleged that the Centre was misusing the agency to stop the Arvind Kejriwal government from "doing good work" in Delhi. He said that CBI officials behaved well during the raid.

According to the CBI, the report had shown prima facie violations, including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses", to provide post-tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees" through the policy. The excise department gave a waiver of Rs 144.36 crore to the licensees on the tendered licence fee on the excuse of COVID-19, sources claimed. They added that it also refunded the earnest money of Rs 30 crore to the lowest bidder for the licence of the airport zone when it failed to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from airport authorities.

The Excise Policy 2021-22, formulated on the basis of an expert committee report, was implemented from November 17 last year and retail licences were issued under it to private bidders for 849 vends across the city, divided into 32 zones. However, under the policy, many liquor stores failed to open for being located in non-conforming areas of the city. Several such vends were sealed by municipal corporations for violations of the Master Plan.

With inputs from PTI

First Published:Aug 22, 2022 11:34 AM IST