The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBI action against Manish Sisodia, and accused him of using the probe agency to defame the party and its leaders due to the "growing popularity" of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his model of governance.
The AAP claimed that it will be Narendra Modi versus Kejriwal in the 2024 general elections. The party also asserted that Sisodia will eventually come out clean of the accusations and the real face of the Prime Minister will stand exposed before the country.
At a Press conference, AAP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, said the alleged irregularities in the formulation of excise policy are just “an excuse” to put the CBI after Sisodia. “The real issue here is the growing popularity of Kejriwal and his Delhi model of governance in the education and healthcare sectors. The way BJP leaders are targeting Kejriwal since morning, the party has, somewhere or the other, sent out a message across the country that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be AAP versus BJP,” he said. He said the CBI raid at Sisodia's residence "proves" that Modi and his BJP are "completely rattled" by the "growing popularity" of Kejriwal and his model of governance.
In the country after the party's landslide victory in Punjab. "It is going to be Modi versus Kejriwal in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections," Singh said. "I am saying this because as soon as Kejriwal reaches Gujarat and says his party will roll out the Delhi and Punjab model in Gujarat as well, the Prime Minister goes on an offensive and levels the 'free revdi' charge."
After Kejriwal "exposed" the Prime Minister by showing how he has "distributed free revdi to his friends" with his Government at the Centre "writing off their loans worth Rs 10 lakh crore and giving them tax exemption of Rs 5 lakh crore", Modi put the CBI and ED after the AAP Ministers, Singh alleged.
The AAP leader said days after Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain, who gave the Delhi model of mohalla clinic to the world, was jailed by the Enforcement Directorate, the Prime Minister has put the CBI after Sisodia.
“Preparations are underway to put Sisodia also behind bars as the prime minister is not able to sleep at night due to the growing popularity of Kejriwal and his Delhi model of governance in education and healthcare sectors,” Singh charged.
He said the CBI raids against Sisodia came a day after a story about the Delhi model of education was published in the New York Times with a picture of Sisodia.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Raghav Chadha, also hit out at the Union Government on Friday for the CBI raid at the residence of Sisodia. Chadha said the BJP is terrified of the growing popularity of AAP National Convenor and Delhi CM. “Do whatever you can, send the ED, CBI, Income Tax, Delhi Police after us but the Kejriwal wave won’t stop. The agenda is clear, we are standing our ground unfazed, unafraid. Earlier it was ‘Modi V/s who?’, today it is ‘Modi V/s Kejriwal’,” said Chadha.
“Kejriwal is an alternative to Modi. This CBI raid is nothing but vendetta politics of BJP to curb Kejriwal's popularity and hinder Delhi's health and education model,” said Chadha.
“Action by Central agencies on the AAP leaders is directly proportional to the growing popularity of the party. BJP’s attempt to demonise AAP will fall flat, AAP is not going to stop and Kejriwal is set to win over the hearts of 130 crore Indians. When Kejriwal’s house was raided, the officers found only a few mufflers and now when they are raiding Sisodia’s house they will only find books, pencils and geometry boxes,” said Chadha.