'Was Asked To Leave AAP': Manish Sisodia After Being Questioned For 9 Hours. CBI Responds

Liquor Policy Case: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has left the CBI office after nearly nine hours of questioning. While leaving he said, "the whole case is fake, no such issue of scam."

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said he was asked inside the CBI office to leave AAP or else cases would keep getting registered against him, ANI reported. Refuring the allegations, CBI said the questioning of Sisodia was carried out in a professional and legal manner.

Speaking to reporters after being questioned for over nine hours in connection with the Delhi excise scam case, Sisodia said the whole case was fake.

"I was asked inside the CBI office to leave (AAP), or else such cases will keep getting registered against me. I was told 'Satyendar Jain ke upar konse sachhe cases hain'. I said I won't leave AAP for BJP. They said they will make me CM," ANI quoted Sisodia as saying. Jain is in jail in an alleged money laundering case.

Sisodia, who arrived at the agency's headquarters around 11.15 am, said the BJP wanted to make 'Operation Lotus' successful in Delhi.

"Today I saw in the CBI office that there's no issue of any scam (excise policy case). The whole case is fake. I understood all that in the nine hour questioning today. The case isn't to probe any scam against me, but to make Operation Lotus successful in Delhi," he further said.

He has not been summoned for questioning tomorrow. 

The deputy CM was interrogated for over nine hours on various aspects of the Delhi government's excise policy, his relations with other accused, including businessman Vijay Nair, and documents recovered during searches in the case, PTI reported.

The CBI has also questioned Raghava Reddy, the son of YSRCP Lok Sabha MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, in the case.

Before arriving at the CBI headquarters, Sisodia visited Rajghat in the morning. A large number of his supporters gathered outside his residence and joined him on the way to the CBI office. Several AAP leaders, inlcuding MP Sanjay Singh, were detained as they protested outisde the CBI office.

In a statement, CBI said Sisodia's statement would be verified and further action would be taken as per requirements of the investigation.

"CBI strongly refutes these allegations (of Delhi Dy CM Sisodia) and reiterates that his examination was carried out in a professional and legal manner. Probe to continue as per law," CBI said.

The CBI has contended that the new policy was introduced without the permission of Delhi's then Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. It has alleged that many ineligible vendors were awarded licences by the Delhi government in exchange for bribes. The policy, introduced in November last year, was withdrawn eight months later amid allegations of corruption.