Even as BJP workers staged protests against the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today claimed that he had received a message from the BJP stating that if he joined the saffron party, all CBI and ED cases against him would be closed and he would be the party’s candidate for the chief ministership.
Taking to Twitter this morning, he wrote: “I received a message from BJP: break ‘AAP’ and come to BJP, will get all CBI, ED cases closed.”
He said his response to the BJP was: ”I am a Rajput, a descendant of Maharana Pratap. You can cut off my head but I will not bow down in front of the corrupt conspirators. All the cases against me are false. Do whatever you want to do.”
Adesh Gupta, the Delhi BJP chief, denied Sisodia claim as a drama to divert attention. “Now that he has failed to hide behind the education model and children, they want to use Maharana Pratap as a shield by claiming to be his descendant,” he said.
BJP workers, led by party MP Harsh Vardhan, staged a protest outside the chief minister’s residence, demanding the dismissal of Sisodia, who is being probed by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Several senior BJP leaders were detained by the police amid sloganeering against the AAP.
Tensions between the BJP-led Centre and the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi have escalated ever since Sisodia’s residence was raided by the CBI last week.
Later talking to reporters in Gujarat, Sisodia claimed the BJP wanted him to split the AAP and join the saffron party. ”I was clearly told that I will be made CM since they don’t have any candidate (for the post),” he added.
He said he was also told by those who had sent him the message how they had brought Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal, Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assa,m and Narayan Rane in Maharashtra to the saffron party fold.
Sisodia said he wanted to make it clear to the BJP that becoming the CM was not his dream. ”Rather my dream is to provide the best education to every child in Delhi and I know this dream can only be realised under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. He is my political guru.” He said he was an honest man and all the charges against him in the excise policy case were false.
Kejriwal, who was also present at the media interaction, said it was shameful that a man like Sisodia, who should be awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ for reforming the education system in Delhi, was being targeted. ”He (Sisodia) may be arrested in 3-4 days. Who will suffer? Obviously, this will affect the education system in Delhi but we won’t let that happen,” he added.