Spirited battle: The Hindu Editorial on AAP and the Delhi excise policy
The HinduThe Central Bureau of Investigation has accused Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 14 others of corruption in the implementation of the Excise Policy 2021-22 in the National Capital Territory. On July 21, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had recommended a CBI probe after the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government submitted a report alleging “ulterior motive of monetary gains” on the part of the accused in the implementation of the new policy, which the Delhi government then withdrew. The report has accused Mr. Sisodia of “deliberate and gross procedural lapses” to give “undue benefits to liquor licensees” through the policy, and receiving kickbacks through clandestine routes, which the CBI is probing. It remains to be seen whether the holier-than-thou politics crafted by AAP survives the no-prisoners approach of the BJP, even as it tries to frame the 2024 general election as a contest between AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.