Delhi CM Kejriwal criticises PM Modi over ED claim on Manish Sisodia

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched a scathing attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the statement by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the attachment of assets belonging to his former deputy Manish Sisodia.

CM Kejriwal alleged that PM Modi was using the ED to defame Sisodia as the agency could not find anything against the former Delhi minister.

Earlier, on Friday, the ED said that it had provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 52.24 crore belonging to Sisodia, Amandeep Singh Dhall, Rajesh Joshi, Gautam Malhotra and others in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Reacting to the ED's statement, Kejriwal took to Twitter and said, "Prime Minister, when you did not find anything against Manish Sisodia, you started defaming him through the ED? Your ED has been running false news on TV channels since the evening that Manish Sisodia's property worth Rs 52 crores has been confiscated."

Referring to property papers that he shared on Twitter, the Delhi CM claimed that the ED confiscated Sisodia's property worth only Rs 80 lakh before 2018.

"Here are the papers of the property actually seized by the ED. Total property worth Rs 80 lakh has been confiscated, that too, before 2018, when the excise policy was not formulated. The entire property is declared," the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener said.

Further hitting out at PM Modi, the Delhi CM said he never thought that the former will resort to peddling lies to defame his political rivals.

"People never thought that a day would come when a great country like India would get such a Prime Minister, who tries to take down his political opponents by openly lying about them. You (PM Modi) also know who the real corrupt persons are. If you have the courage, catch them," the Delhi CM said.

Meanwhile, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, too, came down heavily on the Enforcement Directorate claiming that the official report relating to Sisodia's asset attachment in connection with the liquor policy 'scam' was inaccurate.

"The news is being disseminated in a shameful manner. Along with Manish Sisodia-ji's property, the assets of various businessmen, the biggest wine distributors in the country, were attached. Two flats, worth Rs 5 lakh and Rs 65 lakh respectively, of Sisodia-ji's, were attached. Hence, to say that "Rs 52 crores worth of assets of Sisodia-ji were attached is shameful," the AAP leader said.

Sisodia was arrested by the Cbi on February 26 this year in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Later, on March 9, he was arrested by the ED after hours of questioning at Tihar jail.

The CBI had accused Sisodia of providing undue benefits to the liquor vendors in exchange for a huge amounts of money.