AAP was rising. It had to be arrested

The arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday came as part of the CBI probe into the implementation of a liquor policy in Delhi. Sisodia, who resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday, held the excise portfolio in the ministry. Delhi Lt Gov V K Saxena, who has been at loggerheads with the AAP government, had recommended a CBI inquiry into the charges of corruption and irregularities in the liquor policy on the basis of a report submitted by the Chief Secretary. The policy was scrapped amidst these charges. There were many questions, like the increase in profit margin for wholesale dealers in the now-scrapped policy. There were also allegations of the existence of a network of individuals, bureaucrats and politicians behind the alleged fraud, and claims that digital evidence had been found for the collusion. The proceeds of the alleged corruption were said to have been deployed in the Assembly elections in Punjab and Goa.

But the arrest of Sisodia conforms to a pattern which is seen in the central government’s handling of Opposition leaders and members of non-BJP governments. It again raises questions about central agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) being misused to target political rivals and critics of the government. The CBI has been used by all governments in the past for political purposes. But there is a preponderance of arrests of Opposition politicians under the present government. It has been repeatedly pointed out that such arrests become political harassment and the process itself becomes punishment as the cases continue for years and the leaders are kept under a shadow of doubt. It should be noted that Sisodia has been arrested not as an accused but for not cooperating with the CBI in the probe. The credibility of the agencies is undermined by such cases and that destroys public trust in the fairness of the law enforcement system.

The AAP has denied all the allegations and has held nationwide protests against the arrest. Sisodia was the No 2 leader in the party and the government and he held 18 of the 33 government departments, including finance, health and education. His arrest has come just when the state budget is to be presented. Another senior minister, Satyendra Jain, who is still in jail after he was arrested last year over money laundering allegations, has also resigned now. BJP leaders have said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the kingpin of the scam, raising doubts that he may be the next target. The AAP is under siege from a government and ruling party that seem determined to finish it off. That the Opposition is unwilling or unable to close ranks behind it is telling.