Delhi Excise Policy: Sanjay Singh Arrested After ED Raids, Questioning; AAP Vows to Fight Legally – News18

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh was arrested after the Enforcement Directorate raided his premises in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case on Wednesday. Singh, 51, is the third AAP leader who has been arrested.

The ED raids began before 7 a.m., when the MP was home with his wife, parents, domestic help and his pet dogs, fish and birds. The ED raids came months after the agency raided three of his associates — Sarvesh Mishra, Ajit and Vivek Tyagi – over their alleged involvement in the purported Delhi liquor scam.

Hundreds of AAP workers gheraoed Singh’s residence as he was arrested by the ED.

On Sanjay Singh’s arrest, his father said, “We’ve said we will cooperate. I told him (Sanjay Singh) not to worry. I think they didn’t find any base to arrest him but since they (ED officials) were told to arrest, they arrested him. It will bring positive results as the government will be changed.”

The Member of Parliament’s wife said ED officials have not found anything and they were under pressure to arrest Sanjay Singh. They have no grounds of arrest, she said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the BJP is resorting to desperate measures as it stares at a defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which is why many such raids will take place as the polls come closer.

Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam. He resigned from the Delhi Cabinet on February 28. The ED later arrested the AAP leader on March 9 from Tihar Jail where he is currently lodged in judicial custody. In its nearly 270-page supplementary charge sheet which has annexures running into 2,000 pages, the ED has called Sisodia a “key conspirator” in the case.

It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA.

AAP Says Will Fight Legally

The AAP said the party will fight Singh’s arrest legally.

Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi said that the central government and their agencies are not able to prove any corruption of even a rupee in the case. She said Singh was arrested as the BJP is afraid of those who raise voices against them.

“This shows that the BJP is afraid of AAP. It shows that PM Modi knows in the upcoming Lok Sabha election they are going to lose… In the fear of this defeat, they are conducting raids on the leaders of the AAP party, journalists… I can say this with confidence that they are not going to get even a penny of corruption from Sanjay Singh,” she said.

AAP leader Somnath Bharti said Sanjay Singh was arrested for being vocal in Parliament. “BJP is fearing defeat in the 2024 elections. It was the darkest day of democracy,” he said.

Oppn Parties Slam BJP Govt

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala alleged that the ED has become the ‘Election Department’ of BJP.

“Sanjay Singh is an MP who has questioned the Modi government repeatedly. Such actions against him can’t be acceptable,” he said.

Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely said Congress doesn’t support any type of irregularities and action should be taken against those found guilty in liquor policy case.

“If any person is found involved then the person should be arrested. But if a person is being arrested on the basis that he/she is not cooperating in the investigation, then it is a misuse of the agencies. Investigative agencies cannot be used to fulfil political agendas,” he said.

Kejriwal is Kingpin of Liquor Scam: BJP

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said the public of the nation and Delhi has understood that if there’s a kingpin in the Liquor scam it is Arvind Kejriwal on whose indications the liquor scam in Delhi took place.

“On the indication of Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh says ‘give Rs 32 lakhs to the AAP Party’. An MP does ‘vasooli’ sitting at the CM’s residence…There could be crores of rupees and it has come across during the investigation…,” he said.

BJP MP from Northeast Delhi Manoj Tiwari said, “The way they used to write letters made it seem that there was nobody as honest as them. Today, their co-accused have turned approvers… Sanjay Singh’s arrest in this liquor scam shows that the flame will not remain only on Sanjay Singh or Manish Sisodia or Satyendar Jain. Arvind Kejriwal seems to be their kingpin and the flames will reach him.”

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)