Why CBI probe against Manish Sisodia will hurt AAP and Delhi government badly

Media headlines are flooded with the news of the arrest of Partha Chatterjee, a senior Bengal cabinet minister and secretary general of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress. At the same time, Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena ordered a CBI probe against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia regarding alleged irregularities in the recently launched excise policy of the Arvind Kejriwal government. Allegations of corruption against mainstream political parties across India are nothing new, but when it comes to the Aam Aadmi Party, which was born from the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, then it causes a grave injury. Similarly, Manish Sisodia is not only an education minister but also the key face of the Aam Aadmi Party’s governance model and a person who holds the maximum number of portfolios in the Delhi government. This is why this probe could cause havoc on the Delhi government’s work and the image of the Aam Aadmi Party.

What is the new liquor policy of the Arvind Kejriwal government On 17 November, 2021, the Delhi government ended its involvement in the alcoholic beverage industry, which included closing about 600 government-run liquor stores. The goal was to revolutionise the liquor industry by making it more appealing and, in turn, increasing sales. The Kejriwal administration granted retail licences to 850 liquor stores, 266 of which are private, under the new policy. There will be a minimum of five ultra-premium retail spaces with a carpet area of 2,500 square feet among the 849 retail liquor stores distributed into 32 zones throughout the city. Banquet halls, party spots, farmhouses, motels, and locations for weddings, parties, and events now require an L-38 licence in order to serve Indian and foreign alcoholic beverages at any events held on their property for a one-time annual cost. There were provisions that after taking the necessary license bars and restaurants can run until 3 am. Why is this policy under scanner The excise department of the Delhi government comes under Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Delhi is not a full state, which is why several decisions taken by the state government are supposed to be sent to the lieutenant governor for approval. The chief secretary reported that there are procedural lapses in terms of executing the decisions related to the amended excise policy of the Kejriwal government. Based on this report by the chief secretary of the Delhi government the LG found “deliberate and gross procedural lapses“ in providing tenders. According to reports the LG has found that the government allegedly gave undue benefits to liquor licencees. Why is Delhi government so dependent on Manish Sisodia  Delhi is also unique in terms of governance because the chief minister of the state does not have any department under his jurisdiction. CM Kejriwal took this decision from the very first day in a bid to look after all the work of the entire government. In the Delhi government, Manish Sisodia has the maximum number of portfolios including education, finance, excise, labour and many more. After Cabinet Minister Satyender Jain was arrested by the enforcement directorate, Kejriwal transferred all the departments under Jain to Sisodia. Now the additional charges of the departments like health, home, PWD, urban development, land and building, power, water and others are also under Sisodia. The two key aspects of the Delhi government, which are the education policies and the finances, are entirely dependent on Manish Sisodia. After coming to power, the Kejriwal government developed a unique model of governance through the development of the government schools of Delhi. Manish Sisodia not only played a key role in transforming the education system of Delhi government schools but also launched several important curricula in Delhi schools. Examples are the happiness curriculum, the entrepreneurship mindset curriculum, the Desh Bhakti curriculum, the teacher training initiative and many more. According to sources in the Aam Aadmi Party and the Delhi government, if Manish Sisodia is arrested, the government’s work will be ruined. Insiders believe that there is no other leader in the Aam Aadmi Party who can handle these financial departments as a minister. And Kejriwal does not have experience in running the day-to-day operations of any of these departments. Why charges against Manish Sisodia can hurt AAP’s politics The inception of the Aam Aadmi Party happened during the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare. During the first victory and also the second one, the focus of the campaign was mostly against corruption and the politics of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. But with time, many things inside the Aam Aadmi Party have changed. Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party came up with the agenda of “Kaam Ki Raajneeti” before the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections. This particular pitch is majorly based on the work done by the Aam Aadmi Party in developing education, healthcare, power, water and other sectors. Later, when the Aam Aadmi Party fought the Punjab elections and received a historic victory, the campaign was based on the Delhi government model. To be precise, the entire campaign in all the states across India of the Aam Aadmi Party is the education revolution of Delhi, which was engineered and implemented by Manish Sisodia. Any charge and investigation against Sisodia will raise question marks against the education model. The Aam Aadmi Party also understands that any question against the education revolution of the party will destroy the model of governance of Kejriwal. Similarly, the fundamental pitch of the Aam Aadmi Party is their fight against corruption. The Delhi health minister is already in the custody of the enforcement directorate for an alleged money laundering scam. The Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal stood beside Jain and claimed that he had not committed any corruption. However, a section of Aam Aadmi Party leaders believes if corruption charges are put against Manish Sisodia now, then it will create a general perception that the claims of doing clean politics are false. Significant sections of the Aam Aadmi Party leaders and supporters outside of Delhi believe that the corruption charges levelled against the party’s top leadership will tarnish the party’s image in states where the party is not in power but is contesting elections. The leaders also believe that the immediate effect of these charges will be on the Gujarat Assembly election. Significance of Manish Sisodia’s rise in AAP The rise of Manish Sisodia inside AAP is extremely significant. When Kejriwal formed the Aam Aadmi Party there were many people around him. But with time Kejriwal has removed the majority of these people. But one person has been constant in terms of both politics and administration. That person is Manish Sisodia, the second in command of the Aam Aadmi party and the closest confidant of Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia, an unusual politician who has served as a journalist, social activist, and Kejriwal’s closest friend, has quickly become known as the face of the Aam Aadmi Party government’s most successful policy, education. In the ten years that the AAP has existed, Manish Sisodia has so far found himself at the centre of many controversies, but this is the first time that the minister has been specifically accused of corruption. The new excise policy, for which Manish Sisodia is being accused, is one of the numerous policy modifications he oversaw while serving in the AAP governments in 2013, 2015, and 2020. The 50-year-old Manish Sisodia, hails from Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. Around twenty years ago, he met Kejriwal while he was working in the media, both in radio and television news. He gradually developed into a social activist like Kejriwal, and the two of them collaborated with the NGO Parivartan to address issues including ration availability, power costs, and the right to information. The investigation is yet to begin against Manish Sisodia. But there is a fear among AAP supporters because the examples of breaking political parties across India are in front of everyone. Meanwhile, Kejriwal and the top leadership of the party understand that questions against the education model of AAP and corruption charges might wreak havoc on the party. Unlike Jain, Manish Sisodia is an important political figure and campaigner for the AAP. With key state elections like Gujarat and Himachal around the corner, the AAP realises that they cannot afford to be defensive about the charges against Manish Sisodia because in that case, the party face a massive face loss across India. The author is an independent journalist and columnist based in Kolkata and a former policy research fellow at the Delhi Assembly Research Center. He tweets as @sayantan_gh. Views expressed are entirely personal.

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