Last Update: February 28, 2023, 21:33 IST
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-cancelled liquor policy for 2021-22. (File photo: Twitter)
In his resignation letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia made a veiled attack on the BJP and said that the allegations of corruption were leveled by those who were “scared” of Kejriwal’s politics.
Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday termed the charges leveled against him by the CBI in the excise policy scam as a “conspiracy of cowards and weak people”.
Sisodia resigned from the Delhi cabinet within 48 hours of his arrest in the liquor scam. In his resignation letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia made a veiled attack on the BJP and said that the allegations of corruption were leveled by those who were “scared” of Kejriwal’s politics.
I worked honestly for 8 years but now I am facing corruption charges. I know that God knows that these allegations are false. This is nothing more than a conspiracy by those who are scared of Kejriwal’s politics. You (Kejriwal) are their target, not me because the people of the country are seeing you as a leader who has a vision for the country.”
“Many FIRs have been lodged against me and more are going to happen. He left no stone unturned to make sure that I leave you. I was threatened and offered bribe, but I refused. As a result, they arrested me for not bowing down to them… I do not fear their prisons and am not the first person to be arrested for walking the path of truth. I have read countless stories of people who fought against the British and were jailed on false charges. Some were hanged till death,” he said.
Sisodia said that the people of the country who are struggling with poverty, unemployment, inflation and corruption see Arvind Kejriwal as a hope. “They don’t see him as a leader who believes in ‘jumlas’ because Kejriwal does what he speaks,” he said.
The former minister said that no one in the world can force him to be corrupt or compromise his integrity. He said, ‘Even if I want to, I cannot force anyone to do corrupt work, nor can I back down from my work.’
The AAP leader also quoted lines from ‘Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna’, an Urdu patriotic poem written by Bismil Azimabadi, in his resignation letter.
Sisodia’s portfolio will be handled by RK Anand, Kailash Gehlot
Following the resignation of Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia from the Delhi cabinet, his portfolios of Finance, Planning, Public Works Department (PWD), Power, Home, Urban Development, Irrigation and Flood Control and Water have been handed over to Kailash Gehlot. , while the rest of the department will be handled by Raj Kumar Anand.
Sisodia was holding the charge of 18 departments- Education, Finance, Planning, Land and Building, Vigilance, Services, Tourism, Art, Culture and Language, Labour, Employment, Public Works Department, Health, Industry, Power, Home. , Urban Development, Irrigation and Flood Control and Water.
Gehlot is the Minister for Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs, Transport, Administrative Reforms, Information and Technology, Revenue, Women and Child Development and Anand was handling the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Social Welfare and Cooperation departments.
Sisodia arrested, sent to CBI custody for 5 days
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-cancelled liquor policy for 2021-22. A special court in Delhi on Monday sent Sisodia to five-day CBI remand in the excise policy case to enable the agency to get “genuine and valid” answers to the questions being asked from him for “proper and impartial investigation”.
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