Sisodia Arrested by ED, “BJP Government Harassing Opposition through Central Agencies:” Kavitha

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Mar 9: A day before his bail application is to come up before the CBI court, the former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was on Thursday placed under arrest by another central agency, the Enforcement Directorate.

The ED arrested Sisodia, also in the Delhi liquor policy case, after questioning him for two days in Tihar jail over alleged money laundering while framing the new liquor policy, which was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to take a look.

The 51-year-old was placed under arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following his second round of questioning at the Tihar jail. The agency alleged Sisodia was “evasive” in his replies and was “not cooperating in the probe,” the change also levied by the CBI which took him to its custody for seven days before he was remanded to judicial custody.

The ED arrest makes matters complicated for Sisodia, who has been seeking bail from the CBI court. He will be produced in a court by the ED on Friday, the same day his bail hearing is likely to come up. Sisodia is being kept in Delhi’s Tihar jail under judicial custody after the CBI’s custody ended, following his arrest on February 26.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted the ED action is aimed at keeping his party colleague Sisodia “inside at all cost.” “Manish was first arrested by the CBI. The CBI did not find any evidence, no money was found in the raid. There is a bail hearing tomorrow. Manish would have been released tomorrow. So today ED arrested him. They have only one aim – to keep Manish inside at all cost by creating new fake cases every day. The people are watching. The people will answer,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Sisodia and others face allegations of allowing liquor cartelisation and favouring certain dealers in framing the Delhi liquor policy. The AAP has denied taking bribe from anyone, whether traders or politicians. The BJP has said the AAP would not have withdrawn the liquor policy if it was confident of not having done anything wrong.

Another key leader who faces corruption allegation linked to the Delhi liquor policy case is K Kavitha, leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, a key opposition leader in the centre. She is scheduled to be questioned by the ED on March 11.

The ED has alleged Ms Kavitha is part of the “South Cartel” that benefited from kickbacks in the Delhi liquor policy. The BRS leader has denied the allegations and accused the centre of misusing investigation agencies for political goals.

Kavitha lashed out at the BJP government accusing it of setting investigative agencies after political opponents and “torturing” leaders like her. On Friday, a day before the questioning, the BRS MLC will hold a day long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar seeking passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Kavitha said the Women’s Reservation Bill had been hanging fire for 27 years. Interestingly, Kavitha thanked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who she said was “instrumental” in bringing the Bill and ensuring its passage in Rajya Sabha in 2010. Since then, the Women’s Reservation Bill had been lying in cold storage, she said.

Kavitha said she expected representatives of over 18 political parties to participate in the one-day hunger strike which is being organised by her NGO Bharath Jagruthi. She said she has reached out to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary in charge of organisation K C Venugopal and hoped the Congress would send a representative to participate in the protest.

Kavitha lashing out at the BJP government, said the Centre has been sending its agencies to Telangana since last June. “The question is why… Because Telangana has Assembly elections in November- December. Wherever there are elections, the ED reaches before [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi,” she said.

Kavitha claimed some 500 business houses had been raided by the Income Tax Department and the CBI had made 100 raids. “The ED has raided 200 places. The NIA has called 500 to 600 people and intimidated them… Some 15-16 leaders of our party leaders – MLAs, MPs and ministers – have been targeted.”

“We want to tell Modi, the BJP and the people of the country that we will not be cowed. They have failed the Army, the youth, and the farmers already,” she said. She also accused the BJP government of lying all the time. “They lie about the GDP, development… The Prime Minister stands up in Parliament and lies. Is this politics?” she said.