Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got emotional during the inauguration of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar School of Specialised Excellence in Daryapur Kalan, Bawana on Wednesday as he remembered Manish Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and a dear friend of Kejriwal who made radical reforms to Delhi's public education sector and enhanced it. Sisodia has been languishing in jail for months ever since he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the Delhi Liquor Excise Policy Scam.
A visibly emotional Kejriwal, while giving the speech, said, "It was Sisodia's dream. They (referring to the BJP) aim to dismantle our education system. But we will not allow them to succeed. They have filed false cases against Sisodia and unjustly imprisoned him. He is being targeted because he is actively involved in building schools; otherwise, no action would have been taken against him."
Kejriwal speaks on poverty, girls education
He further added that, "A plumber earns Rs 8,000. If their son studies in a government school and goes on to pursue Computer Science at IIT, he can earn a salary of Rs 2.5-3 lakhs per month. This will eliminate poverty for that family in one generation. Imagine if every child could have access to such education. In one generation, we can eradicate poverty in the country. We should consult with parents and seek suggestions on how to improve the education of their children."
Earlier, the Delhi High Court on Monday rejected the interim bail application filed by Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the ED case. Sisodia sought interim bail in his plea for six weeks in a money laundering case arising from the alleged excise policy scam.
The CBI had filed the last charge sheet on November 25, 2022.
It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP. The policy was later scrapped.
"It was further alleged that irregularities were committed, including modifications in the excise policy, extending undue favours to the licensees, waiver/reduction in licence fee, the extension of L-1 license without approval etc."
"It was also alleged that illegal gains on the count of these acts were diverted to concerned public servants by private parties by making false entries in their books of accounts," a CBI spokesperson had said after the FIR was filed on August 17 last year.
About his arrest
Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam and has been in custody since. The high court denied him bail in the CBI case on May 30.
He was arrested on March 9 in the case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and is currently in judicial custody.
