Why did Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain resign as ministers?

There is a stir in the Delhi politics after the arrest of Manish Sisodia Delhi Deputy chief minister and Satyendra Jain.   

Both have been in serious corruption charges. Satyendra Jain and Manish Sisodia have resigned from their posts in the state cabinet, just two days after Delhi Deputy CM was arrested by the CBI in the alleged liquor scam case. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted their resignation.

Satyendra Jain, held about eight departments – Home, Health, Power, Water, Industries, Urban Development, Irrigation, and Flood Control. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 31 May 2022. He has been in jail for 9 months in money laundering case.

On the other hand, Sisodia held 18 portfolios including Finance and Excise Department, which looks after the liquor policy in the city. He was arrested on Sunday by the CBI, which is probing the corruption in the liquor policy which was rolled out by the AAP government under Sisodia’s watch.     

The CBI, in a statement, said that the deputy CM gave “evasive replies” and “did not cooperate” with the probe agency’s investigation “despite being confronted with evidence to the contrary”. Sisodia was arrested after nearly eight hours of interrogation.

“The Central Bureau of Investigation has today arrested Dy. Chief Minister of GNCTD, Delhi in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD,” the CBI said in the statement Sunday.

“Accepting his request, he was issued a notice u/s 41A Cr.P.C for attending the investigation today (on 26.02.2023) for answering various questions evaded by him during his examination on 17.10.2022 and further questions relating to his incriminating role based on evidence collected during investigation of the case,” it said.

Sisodia was arrested for not cooperating with the investigation and avoiding the clarification sought on crucial points, it said.

The SC told Sisodia’s legal counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, “You are challenging an FIR, challenging remand, seeking bail, all under Article 32. You have remedies before the High Court under Section 482 CrPC.”

I&B Minister Anurag Thakur accused Sisodia of fanning a media spectacle around this possible arrest in the alleged scam instead of answering questions related to the scam. “I believe that some people, instead of cooperating in the investigation, make too much of a clamour in the media. What fear has gripped you? Why are you afraid if you haven’t done anything? But if you have done something, then there is no point in saying anything in your defence,” he said.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged, “It is unfortunate that today, an Education Minister has been arrested in relation to an excise policy…Before placing the excise policy before its ministers, the Aam aadmi party reached out to the liquor mafia so it adopts policies which would be to their benefit…This is the same Aam Aadmi Party which earlier used to bring out a list every day of what it claimed were the most corrupt people in the country,”.

“Why was the excise policy withdrawn if there was nothing wrong with it? When issues with it were raised, they took back the policy which they used to say is the best excise policy; if this was the case then why did you take it back?” North east Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari asked.