BJP-led Centre saffronising Delhi Police: Manish Sisodia

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia accused the BJP-led central government of “saffronising” the Delhi Police, which has had frequent run-ins with the AAP government.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday accused the BJP-led central government of “saffronising” the Delhi Police, which has had frequent run-ins with the AAP government.

File photo of Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia addressing a press conference in New Delhi.(PTI Photo)

As the Arvind Kejriwal government completes one year, Sisodia said the Centre has resorted to “cheap tactics” to stop it from working through the Lieutenant Governor, the police, the ACB and by wresting control over transfer and postings.

“There has been death of a six-year-old student at a private school, but no one has been arrested so far. A teacher of a government school was brutally beaten up. Besides, there have been several crimes of rapes and murder, but police is not arresting anyone,” Sisodia told PTI.

He said, the police is instead nabbing an AAP MLA who had a fight with his wife and another party legislator who had a quarrel with officers.

AAP’s one year witnessed the arrests of six party MLAs in various cases, including on charges of rioting, domestic violence and forgery.

“Khaki is being saffronised so much that it has never been done in any other state before. Delhi Police personnel have earned respect for khaki by sacrificing their lives, but Centre is saffronising the Delhi Police,” Sisodia alleged.

The deputy chief minister said the biggest challenge for the AAP government is to “tackle the attitude” of the BJP-led central government.

“They (Centre) are taking revenge from the people of Delhi for not choosing BJP in the Assembly polls in Delhi, which is shameful. They have snatched Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) from us in order scuttle efforts to make Delhi corruption-free.”

“Centre also tried to control transfer and postings of bureaucrats and by doing this, they don’t want to allow us to work, even on women safety. LG is declaring our order null and void and they are threatening our officers not to follow the Delhi government’s order,” he said.

He alleged that the Centre wants to control Delhi Police as it fears that if police is handed over to an elected government of Delhi, “several rackets including related to drugs” in the national Capital will be smashed.