AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday alleged that Sarath Chandra Reddy, labelled as the ‘kingpin’ in the excise policy scam by the ED and identified as the main accused in the entire case, has purportedly offered a bribe amounting to Rs 60 crore to the BJP.
“This is a clear matter of quid pro quo. Sarath Chandra Reddy was released in exchange for a donation to the BJP,” Singh alleged while addressing a press conference here.
He further said that action should be taken against BJP leaders for “extortion”, advocating for their arrest. However, he pointed out that instead of pursuing BJP leaders, the ED arrested AAP leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
“I was kept in jail for six months. The AAP leaders are being arrested on false charges. Despite over 500 raids conducted by the ED, not a single penny was recovered from either Arvind Kejriwal’s residence or Manish Sisodia’s house. No illicit properties or money was unearthed, yet Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were arrested. Legal action seems to be selectively being taken against the AAP leaders,” he said.
“I would like to express sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Supreme Court for ordering the SBI to release the details of electoral bonds. It is through these details that the real culprit in the liquor policy case has been revealed — the BJP. It is the BJP who took bribe in the excise policy scam,” Singh said.
The AAP MP further claimed that Sarath Chandra Reddy, on getting the liquor contract in Delhi, had donated huge funds to the BJP.
“He (Sarath Chandra Reddy) had given several donations to the BJP between November 2021 and July 2022; On January 5, he gave Rs 3 crore; On January 12, he gave Rs 3 crore; On July 2, he donated Rs 1.5 crore, then again on July 12, he gave Rs 1.5 crore to the BJP. When Sarath Reddy’s contract was running in Delhi, he was feeding bribes to the BJP. When his house was raided on 9th November 2022, Sarath Reddy said that he had not given bribe to anyone,” Singh said.
“Sarath Reddy was arrested on 10 November 2022. On 15 November 2022, he again donated Rs 5 crore to the BJP. ‘Kamal Chhaap’ liquor scam party BJP, ‘party with a difference’, which calls itself the world’s largest party, took Rs 5 crore from Sarath Reddy after his arrest. This raises the question that when Sarath Reddy was in ED custody, how was his bank account running. How was he giving money to the BJP from his bank account during custody?” the AAP MP asked.
Singh further said that in a chargesheet filed on 6 January 2023, the ED identifies Sarath Reddy as the ‘kingpin’ of the liquor scam, labelling him as the main perpetrator and the biggest beneficiary.
“On 20 January 2023, Sarath Chandra Reddy, during the hearing of his bail plea in Rouse Avenue Court, said that the ED is putting undue pressure and using force on him and his employees to sign pre-dictated statements. He claimed that the accusation of paying Rs 100 crore to Delhi government officials is completely baseless and false,” the AAP MP said.