BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was ‘conspiring’ against his former deputy Manish Sisodia at Tihar jail, which comes within the functional ambit of the Delhi government.
Sisodia, who stepped down as the deputy CM in the wake of his arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, is currently lodged at Tihar jail. Claiming he “knows a lot of secrets”, Tiwari dubbed Kejriwal as the “master of conspiracies” while stressing repeatedly that all prisons in Delhi comes within the administrative ambit of the present AAP government.
The BJP MP’s remark came barely hours after the AAP alleged that the central government was “conspiring to kill” its leaders.
“Why is PM Modi silent on the matter? Unable to dent or weaken the AAP politically, you are throwing our leaders behind the bars. Now, they are even plotting to kill our leaders,” AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said earlier on Wednesday.
Hitting back at Bhardwaj, Tiwari questioned how an AAP leader’s life could be at risk in a jail which is run by its own government.
“On hearing that the AAP has said there is a threat to Manish Sisodia’s life in jail, I smelt a rat. I am surprised and shocked at the consporacies of the AAP. Not just in Delhi, people across the country now know that Arvind Kejriwal is master of lies and conspiracies. All Delhi jails come under the AAP government, or under Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia holds a lot of secrets about Kejriwal. I fear that Kejriwal could be conspiring against Sisodia. How can his (Sisodia’s) life be under threat in a jail which comes under the AAP government?” Tiwari said.
Invoking viral videos of jailed AAP leader Satyendar Jain purportedly receiving personalised body massage inside Tihar jail, Tiwari said the reason why the former minister received privileged treatment behind bars was because the jail comes under the Kejriwal government.
Jain, who is also lodged at Tihar in connection with a money laundering case, tendered his resignation as minister along with Sisodia.
“Is Kejriwal conspiring to kill or harm Sisodia in a bid to stop him from disclosing his (CM’s) secrets? They are deliberately peddling a false narrative that Sisodia is under threat from the BJP. Though Satyendar Jain claimed to have suffered memory loss in court, there were videos of him being administered body massage in jail. As was seen in the videos, key documents had been shared and discussed with him inside jail. So, how can there by a threat to Sisodia’s life in a jail that comes under the Delhi government. A conspiracy to eliminate someone in a bid to stop him from disclosing secrets is a matter of concern,” the BJP MP said.
Tiwari said the Tihar authorities should beef up security for Sisodia.
“I urge the jail authorities to provide tighter security to Sisodia and ensure that his security needs are taken care of properly behind bars,” he said.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Tihar officials said Sisodia has been assigned a separate ward in the interest of his personal security, adding that fellow inmates in his new ward are not gangsters or hardened criminals and are known to have maintained “good conduct”.
Earlier on Wednesday, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed Sisodia lodged in cell No.1 at Tihar, which he alleged houses some of the most dreaded criminals and murderers.
Responding to the allegations, a prison official said, “Manish Sisodia has been assigned a segregated ward keeping in mind his personal security. The ward CJ-1, where he is lodged currently, has a few inmates who are not gangsters and have been maintaining good conduct.”
They further said that the allocation of a separate cell to the AAP leader would also enable him to meditate or do other activities without any disturbance.
“All arrangements, as per Jail Rules, are in place to ensure his safety and security. Any aspersions cast about his cell are unfounded,” the prison official said.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in the case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
The Special Judge MK Nagpal on March 6 remanded Sisodia to 14 days in judicial custody.