The BJP on Friday accused the AAP Government of being involved in a “liquor scam” of hundreds of crores of rupees as the CBI raided the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with alleged irregularities in the execution of the Excise Policy 2021-22.
The BJP leaders also used Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s remark that “it is very difficult to get news published in The New York Times” to dub as “paid” the story on his Government’s education model with a photograph of Deputy Manish Sisodia appearing in the American newspaper.
However, refuting the charge late in the evening, The New York Times released a statement to a media house saying, “Our report about efforts to improve Delhi’s education system is based on impartial, on-the-ground reporting, and education is an issue that The New York Times has covered over many years. Journalism from The New York Times is always independent, free from political or advertiser influence.” Earlier in the day, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur described Sisodia as an “excuse minister” after the latter claimed he was “paying the price for honesty”. The Union Minister said in a statement, “The Excise Minister has become excuse minister.”
“Today, the issue is of liquor licences and corruption involved in it. The Minister concerned is Manish Sisodia. He reversed the Excise Policy the day the probe was handed over to the CBI,” he said.