Manish Sisodia, a senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, has revealed that efforts were made to turn him against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after his arrest in connection with a corruption case involving the national capital’s now-defunct liquor policy. During a recent event titled “Janata ki Adalat” (People’s Court), Sisodia stated, “They tried to break me. I was told that Arvind Kejriwal had framed me. They alleged in court that Kejriwal named me. In jail, I was told, ‘name Kejriwal, you will be saved.’”
This statement follows Kejriwal’s recent resignation as Chief Minister, during which he expressed that he would only return to the position based on a favorable verdict from the public in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Delhi. Sisodia echoed this sentiment, stating that he too would only assume a role in the Delhi government after the people’s decision. Kejriwal made the surprising announcement of his resignation after being granted bail in the ongoing Delhi liquor policy case.
In court, Kejriwal had previously alleged that media reports, citing sources from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), suggested he had shifted the blame entirely onto Sisodia. “I have not stated that Sisodia is guilty. I have affirmed that Sisodia is innocent, AAP is innocent, and I am innocent,” he asserted.
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At the AAP gathering, Sisodia further claimed he received offers to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He recounted, “I was urged to switch sides and warned that they would have me killed in jail. I was told to think of myself, my family, my ailing wife, and my son in college. I responded that they were trying to separate Laxman from Ram. No Raavan in the world can achieve that. For 26 years, Arvind Kejriwal has been my brother and political mentor.”
Sisodia alleged that the arrests of himself and his party colleagues were intended to dismantle AAP. “They could neither break us from within nor break up the party,” he emphasized.
Reflecting on his personal struggles following the political turmoil, Sisodia shared, “In 2002, when I was a journalist, I purchased a flat for ₹5 lakh, which was confiscated. I had ₹10 lakh in my account, and that too was seized. I had to beg for help to pay my son’s fees as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) froze my bank account.”
Having spent nearly one and a half years in jail before being granted bail last month, Sisodia resigned as Deputy Chief Minister and relinquished several portfolios during that time. At the AAP event in Jantar Mantar, he acknowledged the public’s disappointment over Kejriwal’s resignation, stating, “People are somewhat upset, but in three or four months, he will be Chief Minister again.”
