The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday fired a fresh salvo at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, alleging that there were several discrepancies between what was recommended by the panel on excise policy and what was implemented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said Mr. Kejriwal's silence on corruption charges proves that he is "hardcore dishonest'.
An immediate reaction on the issue was not available from the AAP or the Delhi government.
He said the "arrogance" of Arvind Kejriwal will be shattered by the people of Delhi whose questions he is not answering.
"Earlier, we had given 24 hours to him to respond to the charges. If he's a 'kattar emandar' (hardcore honest man) why is he not answering the questions being raised. Only one tweet has come up which is meaningless. We again give 24 hours to Mr. Kejriwal to answer questions on charges of corruption in the Delhi excise policy," he said.
Referring to the Delhi excise policy, he said the AAP leader was “breaking records in corruption (bhrashtachar ka kirtiman)“.
He also alleged that there are many discrepancies in what was recommended by the panel on Delhi excise policy and what the AAP government implemented.
A lottery system was to be adopted for awarding contract in retail vending. The city was divided into 32 zones, Mr. Bhatia said and showed documents of both the policy as well as the recommendations of the panel.
The lottery system wasn't followed by the Kejriwal government and zones were awarded to 'some' industrialists which is worrisome, he alleged.
"And, the silence of Kejriwal on corruption charges in excise policy proves that he is hardcore dishonest (kattar beiman)," Mr. Bhatia alleged.
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BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri who was also present asked why Mr. Kejriwal was not answering the questions being raised on the excise policy.
Delhi BJP stages protest near Kejriwal’s residence
The Delhi unit of the BJP also staged a protest near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in Civil Lines area of New Delhi against the alleged irregularities in the AAP government’s excise policy.
Attending the protest, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said Mr. Kejriwal should expel Mr. Sisodia from his Cabinet as he is “accused number one” in the case registered by the CBI.
“Mr. Kejriwal is the kingpin of the whole scam in which liquor mafia was allowed to loot at the expense of state exchequer,” he alleged.
Mr. Gupta said Delhi BJP workers will go door-to-door across the city to tell the people about the “corruption and excise scam” committed by the Kejriwal government.
What’s the matter
A probe is underway by the CBI into the alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s Excise Policy 2021-22.
The agency has filed a FIR against 13 people and two companies in connection with the alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the implementation of the policy.
Also read | KCR family members attended meetings on Delhi excise policy formulation: BJP MP Parvesh Verma
The CBI had raided the residence of Mr. Sisodia, who also holds the excise portfolio in the Kejriwal government, on Saturday.
Mr. Sisodia has said that the AAP government is not against the probe but the targeting of Mr. Kejriwal by the BJP-led central government.
There is no scam in the policy and it was implemented transparently, he had also said.
The Kejriwal government had withdrawn the excise policy after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena recommended a CBI probe into its implementation last month.
Neither the Kejriwal government nor AAP has given any reason behind scrapping of the policy.
