BJP offered to close all CBI, ED cases if I join them: Manish Sisodia's big charge amid row over excise policy

Facing the heat in the excise policy "corruption" case, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday alleged that he has been offered by the BJP that all CBI and ED cases against him will be closed if he agrees to cross over.

“I have received a message from the BJP - break AAP and join BJP, will get all CBI ED cases closed. My reply to BJP - I am a Rajput, a descendant of Maharana Pratap. I will cut off my head but will not bow down in front of the corrupt-conspirators. All the cases against me are false. Do whatever you want to do,” Sisodia tweeted in Hindi. 

मेरे पास भाजपा का संदेश आया है- “आप” तोड़कर भाजपा में आ जाओ, सारे CBI ED के केस बंद करवा देंगे

मेरा भाजपा को जवाब- मैं महाराणा प्रताप का वंशज हूँ, राजपूत हूँ। सर कटा लूँगा लेकिन भ्रष्टाचारियो-षड्यंत्रकारियोंके सामने झुकूँगा नहीं। मेरे ख़िलाफ़ सारे केस झूठे हैं।जो करना है कर लो

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 22, 2022

Sisodia is among 15 people and entities named in an FIR registered by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi excise policy.

Sisodia on Sunday claimed the CBI issued a Look Out Circular against him, but agency officials denied it and said the LOCs were only against eight "private" persons named in the FIR. Later, it was reported that the CBI issued LOC against eight people, which did not include Sisodia. 

The CBI issued Look Out Circulars against eight private persons named in the FIR, officials said, adding the agency had not felt the need for LOCs against public servants so far because they cannot leave the country without intimating the government.

In an interview to PTI, Sisodia said the Centre is trying to stop chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has emerged as a national alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by sending the CBI after his cabinet colleagues.

The AAP leader said that they are not scared of any investigation and asserted that the scams being alleged by BJP leaders are nothing but "shagufe" (lies).

The BJP and AAP have been attacking each other with a flurry of press conferences and tweets after the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday raided 31 locations including Sisodia's residence in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.

The CBI raids on Friday came after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena last month recommended a probe by the agency into the alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the implementation of the policy that came into effect on November 17 last year. The Delhi government withdrew the policy in July after Saxena recommended the probe.

The CBI on Saturday began examining the accused and recorded the statements of three persons named in the FIR. It said more people will be questioned after examining the documents seized during the raids and other evidence.

The agency has named a total of nine private individuals as accused in the FIR including businessmen Vijay Nair, a former CEO of entertainment and event management company Only Much Louder; Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits; Sameer Mahendru, MD of IndoSpirit, and Hyderabad-based Arun Ramchandra Pillai.