Hours ahead of his appearance before the CBI in the Delhi liquor policy case, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia invoked freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and said he was not scared of going to jail.
"Going to CBI again today, will cooperate fully in the investigation. The love of lakhs of children and the blessings of crores of countrymen is with me. I don't care if I have to spend a few months in jail. I am a follower of Bhagat Singh, Bhagat Singh hanged to death for the country. Go to jail for such false allegations is not a big deal," he tweeted in Hindi.
आज फिर CBI जा रहा हूँ, सारी जाँच में पूरा सहयोग करूँगा. लाखों बच्चो का प्यार व करोड़ो देशवासियो का आशीर्वाद साथ है
कुछ महीने जेल में भी रहना पड़े तो परवाह नहीं. भगत सिंह के अनुयायी हैं, देश के लिए भगत सिंह फाँसी पर चढ़ गए थे. ऐसे झूठे आरोपों की वजह से जेल जाना तो छोटी सी चीज़ है
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) February 26, 2023
Soon after, Mr Sisodia left for Raj Ghat to pay respects to Mahatma Gandhi. The AAP leader's journey to Raj Ghat was turned into a massive show of strength by the party. AAP supporters raised slogans and waved placards as Mr Sisodia stood out of the car's sunroof and waved to them.
From Raj Ghat, the AAP leader left for the CBI headquarters at Lodhi Road. Addressing his supporters, Mr Sisodia said it's a "challenging time" and reiterated that he was not scared of going to jail. Reciting Ram Prasad Bismil's immortal lines, "Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna", the Deputy Chief Minister said he had always worked with honesty and thanked his family for constant support. "If they put me in jail, my wife will be alone as my son studies at the university. She is not keeping well, please take care of her," Mr Sisodia said.
Referring to his career as a journalist, he said he left a good job to work for the people with Arvind Kejriwal.
Addressing students of Delhi, he said they must keep working hard. Mr Sisodia is credited with transforming Delhi schools by beefing up infrastructure and improving teaching standards.
In a message to Arvind Kejriwal, Mr Sisodia said, "Arvindji is my guru. I want to tell him, please continue your good work. We are not scared of jail. ED, CBI are being asked to file cases against us because they are scared of Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party."
"As AAP goes from strength to strength, the BJP will get more scared of us. AAP will free the country of the BJP's atrocities. There will be lakhs of Sisodias, let's see how many they will stop," he added.
Retweeting Mr Sisodia's post, Chief Minister and AAP supremo Manish Sisodia said "God is with you". "God is with you, Manish. The prayers of lakhs of children and their parents are with you. It is an honour when you go to jail for the country and the society. I pray to the almighty that you return from jail soon. Delhi's children, parents and all of us will wait for you."
भगवान आपके साथ है मनीष। लाखों बच्चों और उनके पेरेंट्स की दुआयें आपके साथ हैं। जब आप देश और समाज के लिए जेल जाते हैं तो जेल जाना दूषण नहीं, भूषण होता है। प्रभू से कामना करता हूँ कि आप जल्द जेल से लौटें। दिल्ली के बच्चे, पैरेंट्स और हम सब आपका इंतज़ार करेंगे। https://t.co/h8VrIIYRTz
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 26, 2023
On Mr Sisodia asking party supporters to take care of his family, Mr Kejriwal said in a tweet, "We will take care of ur family Manish, don't worry."
Mr Sisodia was to appear before the central probe agency last Sunday, but he sought more time. He had then said that as Delhi's Finance Minister, he was busy prepping the budget and his arrest at this point would derail that work. The agency then issued a fresh summons for today.
Mr Sisodia is being investigated by the CBI for alleged corruption in bringing a new liquor sale policy in the national capital. He is yet to be named an accused in the charge sheet filed by the agency.
Last year, the agency raided his home.
Separately, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also launched a probe, alleging money laundering, and claimed a liquor lobby dubbed the "South Group" paid at least Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to AAP for its Goa election campaign via one of the arrested businessmen.
They have also questioned K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and arrested her former accountant.