Soon after reports surfaced that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had issued a lookout notice for Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with a probe into the excise policy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, came in support of him.
Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi: “At a time when the common man is battling with inflation, crores of youth are unemployed, the central government, along with all the state governments, should fight unemployment and inflation. Instead, they (the central government) are fighting with the whole country. Every morning they wake up and start the game of CBI-ED. How will such a country progress?”
ऐसे समय जब आम इंसान महंगाई से जूझ रहा है, करोड़ों की संख्या में युवा बेरोज़गार हैं, केंद्र सरकार को सभी राज्य सरकारों के साथ मिलकर बेरोज़गारी और महंगाई से लड़ना चाहिए।उसकी बजाय ये पूरे देश से लड़ रहे हैं। रोज़ सुबह उठकर CBI ED का खेल शुरू कर देते हैं। ऐसे देश कैसे तरक़्क़ी करेगा?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 21, 2022
Quoting the news of CBI issuing the LOC to Sisodia, AAP MLA from Kalkaji, Atishi, said: “If the Modi government really wants to find @msisodia, it will go to a school at 6 in the morning. There you will find the best education minister in this country!”
अगर मोदी सरकार को सचमुच @msisodia को ढूँढना है, तो सुबह 6 बजे किसी स्कूल चले जाइएगा। वहाँ मिल जाएँगे आपको इस देश के सबसे बेहतरीन शिक्षा मंत्री! https://t.co/4JnoizRm82
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) August 21, 2022
In another tweet, she said, “Big disclosure: look out notice for Manish Sisodia was issued because today is Sunday. It’s a school holiday, don’t know where to find Sisodia.”
Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman and MLA from Greater Kailash, Saurabh Bharadwaj, tweeted: “In a country where the prime minister is fighting with every state government of the country, how will that country progress?”
AAP senior leader and MLA Sanjay Singh said: “PM Modi, itna nautanki kyu? (PM Modi, why so much gimmickry?) The CBI does not give lookout notice to killers, terrorists and robbers who looted crores and gives lookout notice to the world’s best education minister Manish Sisodia?”
Durgesh Pathak, who recently beat the BJP in the by-election to the Rajendra Nagar seat, said in a video he posted on Twitter: “I just heard the news about the lookout notice and they are saying they cannot find Manish Sisodia. The CBI conducted raids in 31 locations, searched his house for 14 hours and found nothing.. yesterday Modi ji called all the CBI officers and scolded them and told them that they would be sacked if they did not find anything. So they started this nautanki (gimmick) today morning.”
मोदी जी बिलकुल हताश हो चुके हैं।
CBI को मनीष जी के घर से कुछ नहीं मिला, मोदी जी ने हताश हो कर एक नोटिस जारी किया की हमको मनीष जी नहीं मिल रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/ke1NCPBHDx
— Durgesh Pathak (@ipathak25) August 21, 2022
Pathak further added: “Manish ji held a press conference yesterday, he is participating in tens of public programmes and they are saying Manish ji is not available… Modi ji is frustrated, they have been exposed. They conducted raids earlier also and found nothing. They are trying to end the people’s affection for Kejriwal but such raids are increasing our credibility among the public only… You cannot stop Kejriwal and us from working for the public and the nation.”
Sisodia, himself, had said in a tweet in Hindi: “All your raids have failed, you did not find anything. You didn’t find impropriety and corruption of even a paisa. Now, you have issued a lookout notice that Manish Sisodia cannot be found. What is this drama, Modi ji? I am out and about in Delhi, tell me where would you like me to come? You aren’t able to find me?”
The CBI raided Sisodia’s home and office Friday, along with several other locations, including the houses of 14 others named as accused in the First Information Report (FIR). The FIR also names former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna and former deputy excise commissioner Anand Tiwari.
It also names Vijay Nair, businessman and former CEO of events and entertainment firm Only Much Louder, who has been working with the AAP for the past three years on media and political strategy. Nair is not in India at present.
