New Delhi: After the fourteen-hour long raids in the alleged excise scam, the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the central agency was welcome to carry out the raids. This was his first reaction after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) came knocking at his residence.
He said the agency seized his computer and mobile phone after several hours of search and also took away some files. He asserted that he did not commit any wrong and was not scared by the Central Bureau of Investigation and its raid. "The CBI team reached in the morning and searched the whole house. My family and myself extended them full cooperation. They seized my computer and mobile phone. They also took away some files," he told reporters after the raid that lasted several hours.
“We welcome CBI. (We) will give full cooperation in the investigation so that the truth can come out soon. Till now, many cases have been filed against me, but nothing has come out. Nothing will come out of it either. My work for good education in the country cannot be stopped,” Sisodia asserted.
“It is very unfortunate that those who do good work in our country are harassed like this. That is why our country has not yet become No 1,” he said in an apparent reference to the ruling BJP in the Centre of holding back the state governments from performing.
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.
Earlier, the CBI registered an FIR in which it named 15 accused, including Sisodia. The Deputy CM is in charge of the excise department which rolled out a new policy last year under which government liquor shops were shut and private players were given licenses.
The CBI, which is conducting raids at multiple locations, has also booked then excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, deputy commissioner Anand Tiwari and assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar. Besides these, the central agency has booked liquor company executives, dealers, unknown public servants, and private persons.
After the CBI raid, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) can also come into action regarding the excise policy of the AAP government. Enforcement Directorate may initiate a money laundering probe. On Friday, the CBI knocked in seven states including Sisodia's house. Sisodia holds several portfolios, including products and education, in the Delhi government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The scheme came under scrutiny after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena last month recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Excise Policy 2021-22. He had also suspended 11 excise officials in this case.
The CBI in its FIR states that Manish Sisodia, Arva Gopi Krishna, Anand Tiwari, and Pankaj Bhatnagar were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the years 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favors to the licensees post tender.
The probe agency also mentions that "Vijay Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, Manoj Rai, ex-employee of Pernod Ricard, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits, and Sameer Mahendru, owner of Inda Spirits, were actively involved in irregularities in framing and implementation of excise policy of Delhi.
"Source further revealed that some of the L-1 Licence holders are issuing credit notes to retail vendors with an ab-intio intention to divert the funds as an undue pecuniary advantage to Public servants. In furtherance to this, they are showing false entries in their books of accounts to keep their record straight," the CBI FIR states.
Amid all this, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "The day the Delhi education model was praised and Manish Sisodia's picture printed on the front page of America's largest newspaper NYT, the same day the center sent CBI to Manish's house. Welcome to CBI. Will fully cooperate. There were many investigations/raids in the past as well. Nothing came out. Still, nothing will come out."
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal tweeted, "CBI raid on Sisodia. CBI, ED - these are the weapons of the government. They are now moving towards Kejriwal. First Satyendra Jain was targeted and now Sisodia." (With agency inputs)
