BJP releases ‘sting’ video, says excise policy bankrolled AAP’s poll campaign

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia dismissed the purported sting and dared the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest him if there is any truth in it

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released another “sting” video purportedly showing a liquor trader claiming corruption in framing and implementation of Delhi’s 2021-22 excise policy, claiming it bankrolled the ruling Aam Adami Party (AAP)’s election campaign in Punjab and Goa this year.

Sisodia insisted the CBI and ED found nothing in the raids they carried out at his premises. (PTI)

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who has been named as an accused in the alleged scam, dismissed the purported sting and dared the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to arrest him if there is any truth in it or else it should be treated as another conspiracy against AAP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise.

Delhi BJP chief Aadesh Gupta shared the video on social media saying it shows Amit Arora, an accused in the case, “exposing” AAP’s corruption, which cannot be brushed under the carpet.

Sisodia insisted the CBI and Enforcement Directorate found nothing in the raids they carried out at his premises. “Now they have come up with this sting... The BJP should hand over this sting as evidence to the CBI...CBI should arrest me in four days.” He called CBI a branch of the BJP.

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said AAP promised to change politics, but now stands exposed. “[Chief minister Arvind] Kejriwal did not take any action over the previous sting operation. Today, one more sting has come out in the public domain in which one of the accused, Amit Arora, is heard saying how companies paid money to AAP.”

Trivedi said Arora provided information about the recipients of the money and how it was given. “He also says that the policy was prepared in a well-planned manner so that only selected people benefited from it and the cash flow also remains with them.”

He said two wholesalers in Delhi were favoured and one of them paid ₹60 crore and the other ₹100 crore to AAP. “The commission is usually decided by the manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer so that there is healthy business competition. For the first time, the government fixed the commission. The important thing to note is that the commission has been fixed for the wholesaler by the government.” Trivedi said Arora also said the money was used in the elections in Goa and Punjab.

Trivedi asked Kejriwal to apologise and take action against Sisodia. He added the licence fee was fixed at ₹5 crore so that small players are unable to participate. “When he came to power in Delhi, Kejriwal asked people to make sting videos and his government would take action. Today, two sting videos are available on social media. Why has no action been taken so far?”