Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra on Monday, 5 September, released a video of a purported "sting operation" to substantiate allegations that Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reaped benefits of the now defunct excise policy in the state.
What Is the 'Sting' Video All About?
In the alleged sting video, a man sitting on the front seat of a car claims that he is a vendor and describes how the "corrupt" practices work.
Patra claimed that the man in the video is Kulvinder Marwah, who is the father of Sunny, an accused in the alleged liquor scam case.
"The modus operandi as revealed in the video is that 80 percent profit will go to (Delhi Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia and their friend," Patra said after showing the video at a press conference.
He also claims that the video was conclusive proof regarding the alleged corruption in the Delhi government.
What Sisodia Said About the 'Sting' Video
Meanwhile, deputy CM Sisodia scoffed at the purported video and questioned its veracity.
"They stood on the road, sat someone in a car, and asked them some questions. Is it a sting?" he asked, adding, "This is a joke. I have such stings as well, will give it to you tomorrow, then you run that too."
"BJP has been shouting for a long time that it is a scam. Sometimes it is said to be 1,300 crores, sometimes 8,000 crores, sometimes 500, sometimes 144 crores, and sometimes just 30 crores," he said while addressing a press conference.
He also reiterated that the BJP's allegations of corruption were baseless and that they were trying to stop the state government from working for the people.
He also added that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against him at the behest of the BJP, that "tried to drag my name in legitimate dealings between two companies, that too by just quoting sources."
He also highlighted that he had been given a "clean chit" after the central agency raided his residence and his bank locker last month.
"Now when I got a clean chit from the CBI that they have found nothing, the BJP is saying that look, CBI could not find it, we will do a sting," the AAP leader said.
Raids Against Sisodia
The CBI had raided the bank locker of the Delhi deputy CM Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Ghaziabad on 30 August in connection with its probe into the state's excise policy.
Following the search, Sisodia had said that he had been given a clean chit by the agency as money worth only Rs 70,000-80,000 had been found.
Earlier on 19 August, the central agency raided the residence of the Deputy CM, who has been named in a First Information Report (FIR) on alleged corruption charges.
The CBI has named Sisodia as the prime accused in the Delhi liquor excise case, which has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had claimed that Sisodia was being targeted because of the acclaim he had garnered after appearing on the front page of The New York Times for his efforts as the state's education minister.
The deputy CM had also alleged that the BJP got in touch with him and said that they would make him their chief ministerial candidate and drop the charges against him if he agreed to "break the AAP."
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