New Delhi, 19/8: The CBI’s action against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia soon after he got global praise for his initiatives in education was not unexpected and is seen as the ruling BJP’s attempt to foreclose AAP’s political bid in the untested waters of Gujarat in the immediate future and whatever national ambitions it harbours.
The BJP and AAP were at loggerheads and the decibel levels were at the maximum in the recent days with both wrangling on issues like freebies, hooch tragedy in Gujarat, settling Rohingyas and the Kejriwal government’s showcasing of achievements in health and education sector among other things. Minister Satyendar Jain was recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had set the stage for the CBI action against Sisodia by recommending a probe by the central agency into the controversial excise policy, which Arvind Kejriwal’s opponents claimed was used by AAP to cough up money for its Punjab bid earlier this year. Saxena’s recommendation for a CBI probe came following an official report suggesting flagrant violations of rules and regulations that helped private bidders.