Delhi BJP stages 'silent protest' seeking Kejriwal's resignation

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Delhi unit staged a ‘maun vrat‘ (silent sit-in) at Rajghat in Delhi. The BJP’s leaders and workers sitting in the protest are seeking the resignation of Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the alleged liquor scam.

The working President of the BJP’s Delhi unit Virendra Sachdeva, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and other party workers are among the ones who were staging the protest. The protestors also claimed that they have prayed for good sense to prevail over the Kejriwal government during their sit-in at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial.

“Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party is holding a silent protest demanding resignation of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over liquor scam", a report mentioned.  The BJP has stepped up its attack on the Kejriwal government following the arrest of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in connection with alleged irregularities related to the implementation of the now scrapped excise duty policy in 2021-22. The city authorities withdrew the policy last year after Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged violations of rules and lapses in their implementation.

The CBI registered a case of Delhi Excise Policy scam in August 2022 against a total of 15 persons, including Sisodia, who was the Deputy Chief Minister and Excise Minister in the government. NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) and certain other Government servants and public persons. A case was registered on the allegation of various irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the GNCTD excise policy for the year 2021-22.

In the FIR, it was alleged that the above officials were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions regarding excise duty policy without the approval of the competent authority and also with the intention of giving undue benefits to the licensees after the tender process for some illegal monetary benefits.