After Delhi deputy CM Manisha Sisodia’s arrest, the immediate and the biggest challenge for AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal is to present the Delhi government budget as scheduled and find his replacement.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 27, 2023 10:09 IST
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during the Varishth Samman Utsav (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan)
By Ritika: The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has plunged into a governance crisis with the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Delhi Liquor Scam case as he holds at least 18 key government departments. Manish Sisodia is in-charge of the AAP government’s flagship schemes across various sectors — education, health, finance, urban development, industries, power and others — under the Delhi government, the highest by any minister in the Kejriwal Cabinet. He is also in-charge of all other departments not specifically allotted to any minister.
If Sisodia does not get bail, the chief minister may have to reshuffle his cabinet and distribute the massive workload that Sisodia had been handling.
The arrest of two senior AAP leaders, Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia, in a year, has posed a big challenge for the Delhi government. While Manish Sisodia initially started out with a shorter list, he had taken over Jain’s portfolios last year following Satyendar Jain’s imprisonment in a money laundering case.
The AAP has praised Sisodia and Jain for the successful transformation of Delhi’s education and health services, contributing to the party’s popularity and continued electoral success.
Their absence leaves Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with no heavyweight lieutenant to implement his governance agenda in Delhi.
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WHAT’s THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE AHEAD?
Manish Sisodia had been preparing the Delhi Budget for 2023-24 and was expected to present it in the Assembly. In fact, he had asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to postpone his questioning on February 17, citing Budget preparations. The agency later issued fresh summons for February 26 and the AAP leader was arrested on Sunday.
The immediate and the biggest challenge for AAP chief Kejriwal is to present the Delhi government Budget as scheduled and find Sisodia’s replacement, news agency PTI reported.
Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party told PTI Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot may present the Delhi government Budget for the next financial year.
ALSO READ | Manish Sisodia asks CBI to defer questioning in Delhi liquor case, says ‘busy with budget work’
“As there was a possibility that the deputy chief minister may be arrested by the CBI, Gahlot was attending Budget-related meetings for the last few days.
“Gahlot is likely to present the 2023-24 Budget. It is scheduled to be presented next month,” an AAP functionary told PTI.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai has only three departments, while Imran Hussain is in charge of only two departments — food and civil supplies, and election.
Kailash Gahlot is in charge of six departments, including revenue and transport, while Raj Kumar Anand has four portfolios.
MANISH SISODIA ARRESTED IN LIQUOR SCAM
The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia, who is close to Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Excise Policy for 2021-22 after nearly eight hours of questioning.
This was the second round of questioning of Sisodia after the agency registered a case on August 17 last year. He was quizzed on October 17 last year.
Kejriwal termed the arrest “dirty politics” and asserted that his deputy was innocent. The AAP has also planned a nationwide protest against Sisodia’s arrest today and the Delhi BJP unit will also stage a sit-in outside the BJP headquarters.
Meanwhile, Sisodia will be presented before the Revenue Court today as the CBI plans to seek his custody for further interrogation.
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(With PTI inputs)
