From Excise Policy to freebies: The many clashes between AAP and Centre

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday conducted raids at 21 locations, including the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and premises of Delhi Excise Commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy.

Reacting to the development, the Deputy Chief Minister slammed the BJP for harassing people doing good work and said that the saffron party was rattled by the development work that the AAP government is doing in Delhi. "CBI has arrived. We are honest, building a future for lakhs of children. Unfortunate that in this country, whoever does good work is hassled just like this, that is why our country is still not number-1," Sisodia said in a series of tweets.

सीबीआई आई है. उनका स्वागत है. हम कट्टर ईमानदार हैं . लाखों बच्चों का भविष्य बना रहे हैं.

बहुत ही दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि हमारे देश में जो अच्छा काम करता है उसे इसी तरह परेशान किया जाता है. इसीलिए हमारा देश अभी तक नम्बर-1 नहीं बन पाया.

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) August 19, 2022

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also hit out at the CBI raids and said that there have been raids in the past and nothing have come out of them and neither will it this time too.

"The day when the Delhi education model was praised and Manish Sisodia's picture printed on the front page of America's largest newspaper NYT, on the same day Manish's home center sent CBI," Kejriwal tweeted.

"Welcome to CBI. Will cooperate fully. There have been many tests/raids in the past as well. Nothing came out. still nothing will come out," he added.

जिस दिन अमेरिका के सबसे बड़े अख़बार NYT के फ़्रंट पेज पर दिल्ली शिक्षा मॉडल की तारीफ़ और मनीष सिसोदिया की तस्वीर छपी, उसी दिन मनीष के घर केंद्र ने CBI भेजी

CBI का स्वागत है। पूरा cooperate करेंगे। पहले भी कई जाँच/रेड हुईं। कुछ नहीं निकला। अब भी कुछ नहीं निकलेगा https://t.co/oQXitimbYZ

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 19, 2022

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi have in the past been at loggerheads with the Centre, let’s take a look at some of those instances:

Excise Policy

In July 2022, the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi government’s excise policy. The LG's office also accused the AAP dispensation of allegedly misrepresenting excise revenues.

The Centre has alleged that the AAP government violated rules while implementing the policy that handed over the sale of liquor to private players, shutting down government-run outlets, as per a report by NDTV.

"The AAP government violated rules and procedures to promote cartelisation to benefit liquor companies in Delhi," Minister Of State For External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi said.

Must read: Explained: AAP’s Excise Policy over which CBI has raided Manish Sisodia’s house

She claimed that a waiver of over Rs 144.36 crore was given to licensees and earnest money deposit worth Rs 30 crore of one company was refunded without following rules and processes.

Sisodia defended the policy saying it was meant to tackle corruption and fight the powerful liquor mafia.

Residence for Rohingya refugees in Delhi

Earlier this week, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri courted controversy by tweeting about the proposed shifting of the Rohingyas in the outer Delhi area, saying the move will silence a lot of discreditors of the central government.

The Union home ministry almost immediately after issued a statement saying no such plan was afoot, and in effect, discredited Puri's statement.

After the MHA's statement on Wednesday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the central government made a U-turn on the issue and tried to blame it on the Delhi government after hue and cry that Puri's tweet engendered.

A Rohingya comedy of errors: Time to bite the refugee bullet

The Centre had specifically instructed officers of Delhi government and Delhi Police to keep the Chief Minister and ministers in the dark and settle Rohingyas in Delhi behind their back, he went on to allege.

The Union Home Ministry denied any such move and directed the Delhi government to ensure that "illegal foreigners" remain in detention centres pending their extradition.

It also said that the Delhi government "proposed to shift Rohingya Muslims to a new location".

Rejecting the Union Home Ministry's claim that it was the Delhi government's proposal, Sisodia had alleged on Wednesday the BJP-led Centre was "secretly" trying to give "permanent residence" to Rohingya refugees in the national capital.

AAP vs BJP over freebies

The BJP and AAP recently locked horns over PM Modi's taunt on political parties promising freebies to win votes, what he described as "Revdi (sweets) culture".

हमारे देश में मुफ्त की रेवड़ी बांटकर वोट बटोरने का कल्चर लाने की कोशिश हो रही है।

ये रेवड़ी कल्चर देश के विकास के लिए बहुत घातक है।

इस रेवड़ी कल्चर से देश के लोगों को बहुत सावधान रहना है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022

Kejriwal hit back saying schemes to benefit those who need help cannot be termed as freebies.

Must read: Explained: The history of freebie culture that the AAP and Centre are fighting over

The AAP later said that absolutely essential health and education services offered by its government (in Delhi and Punjab) are not freebies, India Today reported.

Never in past 75 years has govt taxed basic food grains. Tax over petrol & diesel is over 1000 cr. They're now saying all free things by govt should end, fee should be charged in govt schools, hospitals. They're saying free rations to be stopped: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/yE6MFXIXHE

— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2022

Enforcement Directorate arrests Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain

In May 2022, the ED arrested Satyendar Jain in a money-laundering case. The case is based on a CBI FIR lodged against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act where he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.

After Jain's arrest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal suggested that the central government is now planning to arrest Deputy CM Manish Sisodia soon.

"I'd already announced a few months back that the Central government is going to arrest Satyendar Jain in a fake case. Reliable sources have suggested to me that Manish Sisodia is going to be arrested soon, centre has ordered all agencies to form fake cases against him," Kejriwal told media persons at a press conference.

Hitting out at the Centre over recent raids, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct raids and put all the ministers and MLAs from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) behind bars at one time only.

"I request PM Modi to put all the ministers and MLAs from AAP behind the bars and ask all the central agencies to do all investigations at a go. Do as many raids as you want. You arrest one minister at a time, it obstructs public works," he added.

With inputs from agencies

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