They are arresting him to stop him from going to Gujarat: Arvind Kejriwal on Sisodia’s CBI questioning

Entire AAP leadership comes out in Sisodia’s support, links his questioning with Gujarat polls; BJP says AAP, instead of being ashamed, is trying to glorify ‘criminalisation of politics’; several AAP leaders detained for violating Section 144 CrPC

Soon after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was released by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after being questioned for nine hours on Monday, AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal, in a note of defiance, tweeted: “Tomorrow morning Manish is going to Gujarat”.

The entire top brass of AAP, including Mr. Kejriwal (who held rallies in poll-bound Gujarat during the day) and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, along with several MLAs, spoke up in Mr. Sisodia’s support, and linked the probe agency’s actions with the upcoming Assembly election in Gujarat. Several AAP leaders were detained by Delhi Police near the CBI headquarters as they rallied in the support of the Delhi Deputy CM.

“Nothing was found in [CBI’s] raid on Manish’s house, nothing was found in [Mr. Sisodia’s] bank locker. The case against him is totally false. He was supposed to go to Gujarat for the election campaign. They are arresting him to stop him. But the election campaign will not stop. Every person in Gujarat is campaigning for ‘AAP’ today,” Mr. Kejriwal said in another tweet on Monday.

DCP (South) Chandan Chowdhury said Section 144 CrPC was imposed outside the CGO complex and several AAP protesters including Mr. Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Rakhi Birla, Kuldeep Kumar, Jarnail Singh and Pankaj Gupta were detained, under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act, for violating the prohibitory orders.

“All women protesters were released before sunset. Action under IPC Section 188 (disobedience of an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) is also being taken for violation of provisions of Section 144 CrPC, which prohibits the gathering of four or more people,” the DCP said, adding that the remaining detainees will be released later in the night.

Earlier in the day, AAP’s chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “When the results are announced, the BJP would be forced to let Manish Sisodia out.” AAP leader Atishi claimed that the BJP was trying to prevent Mr. Sisodia and (former Health Minister of Delhi) Satyendar Jain from campaigning in Gujarat, lest Delhi’s education and healthcare models reach the State.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly and BJP MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri termed AAP’s protests an attempt to glorify “the criminalisation of politics”.