The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed “victory” on Wednesday as the Enforcement Directorate arrested liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy.
The Opposition party declared that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will be the next to be arrested by probe agencies. Accusing Mr. Sisodia of being in the know of corruption running into thousands of crores, Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“The corruption in the excise policy of the AAP government has been exposed now and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia should resign from their posts,” Mr. Gupta said at a press conference.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said AAP and its leaders had begun expressing apprehension about Mr. Sisodia’s arrest since they were aware of the “swindling” in the alleged liquor scam.
“All the layers of this scam that are being exposed tell that Sisodia is the head of the scam. The arrests of Vijay Nair and Sameer Mahendru, a close aide of Sisodia, make it clear that he is fully involved in the scam and has siphoned off crores of rupees,” Mr. Gupta said.
Mr. Bidhuri alleged that Mr. Nair was responsible for taking money from liquor contractors, while Mr. Mahendru was believed to have been “fully active” in making and implementing the now-scrapped liquor policy.
“If evidence is found against Sisodia, then he will also be arrested. The investigative agencies will not stop their work because of the babble of Kejriwal or other AAP leaders,” Mr. Bidhuri said.
Delhi Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena in July recommended a CBI probe into the alleged violation of rules and procedural lapses into implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 after which the agency registered an FIR and launched its probe.
The Kejriwal government withdrew the policy after Mr. Saxena’s recommendation of CBI probe into it.
