Suspend govt but don’t harass us every day: AAP on CBI action

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday criticised the Centre for what it called a ‘raid’ by the CBI at deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s residence, saying it signalled the BJP-led government’s ‘resolve’ to not let the AAP regime in Delhi work.

Addressing a press conference at the party office, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said instead of ‘daily harassment’ it would be better for the Centre to suspend the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government. “Today’s raid signals the resolve of the Centre to not let the AAP government work. The BJP wants to destroy the opposition. The intention is to take revenge through relentless harassment. So it will be better to suspend the government,” Singh said.

The CBI denied AAP’s charge and said they “visited” Sisodia’s residence to seek a clarification about a preliminary enquiry against him relating to alleged irregularities in a campaign launched by chief minister Kejriwal, ‘Talk to AK’.

Singh wondered why the CBI officials visited the deputy CM’s residence if it was not to conduct a raid. “Is the deputy CM’s residence a restroom? Did they go to have tea? They said similar things when the CM’s office was raided. The raid was conducted to target the AAP government,” Singh said.

The AAP leaders said the CBI was proving the phrase coined for it by the Supreme Court of being a ‘caged parrot’. “BJP leaders are involved in several scams. There are allegations and even cases filed in few cases. But the CBI is doing nothing in those cases,” Singh said.

The AAP leaders argued that the CBI was acting in the case though no act of corruption was involved in the matter.

Reacting to the development, Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said allegations of financial irregularity in organising the Talk To AK programme was raised in the Shunglu Committee report. “Giving a contract of ₹95 lakh on the basis of just a single tender is an open loot of public money. The CBI has been investigating this matter for a while and now it has given an opportunity to to Manish Sisodia file his statement,” Tiwari said.

Tiwari said the Kejriwal government and Manish Sisodia seem to have taken no lessons from the Talk To AK controversy, and even recently they put undue pressure on officials to arrange a Facebook Live programme over GST without following the guidelines, he added. ‘Talk to AK’ wAs lAunched in July 2016, where CM Arvind KejriwAl held A live interActive session with people from All over IndiA

The progrAmme wAs lAunched before the polls in GoA And PunjAb. The opposition Alleged thAt the AAP wAs using public money for its cAmpAign Shunglu Committee pointed to irregulArities in the progrAmme

The complAint Alleged thAt A privAte compAny, Perfect RelAtions, wAs hired for the cAmpAign And A proposAl of ~1.5cr wAs prepAred for this MAnish SisodiA wAs heAd of the the depArtment which hAd conducted the progrAmme

A primArily enquiry wAs initiAted by the CBI in the cAse on JAnuAry 18 After the vigilAnce depArtment referred the mAtter to it The mAin AllegAtion wAs thAt the contrAct wAs AwArded on A single nominAtion bAsis, A violAtion of rules