NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came down heavily on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the claim by the agency that it has sealed the property worth ₹52 crores belonging to former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case.
Senior AAP Leader and Delhi Finance minister Atishi said that the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and PM Narendra Modi are orchestrating a malicious witch-hunt against Delhi’s former Dy CM Sisodia. She alleged that they are planting fake stories in the media that the ED attached Sisodia’s assets amounting to ₹52 crores in the excise case.
“However, the ED’s own documents clearly stated that, as part of the broader exercise, assets worth merely ₹16 lakhs belong to Manish Sisodia,” Atishi said.
“ED’s July 3 order states that only a bank account and an old flat belonging to Manish Sisodia have been provisionally attached by the ED. As per the ED, his Bank of Baroda account contains only Rs 11,49,738. Apart from this, a flat in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, valued at ₹5,07,600 by ED and which is in Manish Sisodia’s name, has been provisionally attached by the ED. The ED has put it on record that this flat was bought by him in 2005, well before he joined politics,” she said.
ALSO READ: Excise policy case: Delhi HC denies bail to Manish Sisodia
Atishi also informed that a flat in Mayur Vihar valued at ₹65,00,000 by ED, which is in the name of Manish Sisoida’s wife, has also been provisionally attached. “As per ED, this flat was bought in the year 2018, almost half a decade prior to this excise policy investigation, many years before the policy in question was conceived,” she said.
As per ED documents, the total value of the assets belonging to Manish Sisodia and his wife is only ₹81 lakhs. “Even in this, the flats are much older and have no relation to the ongoing case,” she added.
“This whole propaganda is nothing but PM Narendra Modi and the BJP’s attempt to deliberately misguide the public,” Atishi said, asserting that PM Modi is on a mission to destroy the life of Manish Sisodia because he is refusing to bow down before him even after being in jail.
“The Aam Aadmi Party is steadfastly honest. Our leaders don’t fear PM Modi’s jails. This is now irking him. He is frustrated that despite his best attempts, he is unable to break the Aam Aadmi Party,” she added.
ALSO READ: Delhi Excise Policy case: CBI files charge sheet against Sisodia
Meanwhile, CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Mr Prime Minister, when you couldn’t find anything against Manish Sisodia, you started defaming him through the ED. Your ED is spreading false news on TV channels that Manish Sisodia’s assets worth ₹52 crores have been seized.”
“A total of ₹80 lakhs of assets have been seized from him, and those too were bought before 2018, much before the excise policy was even formed. The entire wealth is on paper and declared,” he added.
“People never thought that such a Prime Minister would come, who would try to eliminate his political opponents by openly lying like this, in a great country like India. You also know who the real corrupt people are. If you have the courage, catch them and show it,” he added.