Amid a deepening probe into the Delhi Excise case, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday launched search operations at more than three locations in various states, officials said. The liquor policy case has been at the center of a political row between the BJP and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the state capital. The AAP – which boasts of being born out of an anti-corruption movement – has been accused of money laundering by a rival party. Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had earlier recommended a CBI probe into the matter. Based on his recommendation, the Central Investigation Agency launched a massive search operation.
They also searched the house of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia – which was under the radar of investigative agencies. However, the AAP has repeatedly accused the BJP of misuse of polling agencies, which decides at the centre. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal even had alleged attempts to topple the elected government in the city.
On Thursday, the BJP released a “stinging” video purportedly showing a liquor trader alleging corruption in the formulation and implementation of excise duty policy. He alleged that the policy financed this year’s election campaign of the ruling Aam Adami Party (AAP) in Punjab and Goa. However, Sisodia dismissed the alleged sting and dared the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest her.
CBI raided my house, nothing was found. Nothing was found in the locker. CBI/ED investigated, found nothing,” the AAP leader wrote in the post. “Now the BJP has come with a sting. CBI/ED should also investigate this sting. If the allegations are true, arrest me by Monday. Otherwise, the prime minister should apologize to her for the fake sting,” he wrote on Twitter.
