AAP is doing what it takes to articulate its ‘Modi vs Kejriwal in 2024’ campaign. But can Kejriwal measure up to Modi’s larger than life persona or the BJP’s skills of out-manoeuvring its opponent?
When Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister, declared himself to be a “descendant of Maharana Pratap” and vowed to fight till death, he sounded a war cry: loud and clear: “I will cut off my head but will not bow down to the corrupt and conspirators”, Sisodia had publicly stated.
His angst: the BJP government targeting him unfairly and wanting to offer him crumbs of office if he split the Aam Aadmi Party: “They asked me to be their CM candidate because they don’t have a face for the post in Delhi”, Sisodia alleged. This, he said, came with an offer to close all cases registered against him by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
As of now, the heat is on Sisodia. Earlier this month, the CBI raided his home in New Delhi. He is named the principal accused in the controversial excise policy case of the Delhi government.
A trusted aide of Kejriwal, Sisodia is virtually running the government. The BJP had recently pointed out that a single minister, read Sisodia, was allocated 18 major departments of the 29 listed ones of the Delhi government.
The Excise department is headed by Sisodia and the excise policy, which is under fire, comes within the department’s purview.
The controversial policy was introduced last year with a bid to reform the retail liquor sector, in addition to bumping up revenue by a few thousand crores.
The route: shut down government operated vends and allow private players to enter.
Gone were the iron grilled, government run stuffy and suffocated outlets to be replaced by well lit, walk in the air-conditioned stores where customers could look around and reach out to brands of their choice. The reform also generated additional revenue.
In other words elevate drinking to an experience and also make money.
The “joy”, if at all, was short-lived.
In less than nine months, the policy was withdrawn after Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities. This was a consequence of a report by Delhi’s Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar wherein “deliberate and gross procedural lapses” to provide post-tender “undue benefits to liquor licensees” were listed.
Following the raids, Sisodia has said that he would be arrested soon, like his colleague Satyendra Jain.
