Sisodia calls for Opposition to unite against BJP

A day after he was out on bail after 17-month-long incarceration, former Delhi deputy chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government and said it was indulging in “dictatorship” while trying to “break the opposition parties”.
Addressing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers at the party headquarters on Saturday, the Patparganj MLA called for a united front to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
Reacting to Sisodia’s remarks, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the people of Delhi will respond to the “boastful speeches” made by AAP leaders during Sisodia’s welcome during the upcoming elections.
Sisodia was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the Delhi excise policy case on Friday, which remarked that his long incarceration, coupled with his continued detention without the trial ending anytime soon, was impinging his right to liberty. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate as part of their probes into alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy 2021-2022.
“We need to fight against dictatorship. Dictatorship has become a threat to our lives and the Constitution… I want to tell the (non-BJP) constituents of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and INDIA bloc that we will together have to fight against dictatorship. If the opposition parties’ leaders raise a voice together, within 24 hours Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail,” Sisodia said.
He added that the “battle” will be the election as well as a legal battle. “We will have to contest elections and fight the legal battle together. In these (Lok Sabha) elections, we saw that their (BJP) dream of over 400 (seats) failed, and if we contest together in the upcoming elections, they will face a similar fate. They (opposition parties) should not think that they will fight only when their turn comes. It is a fight for everyone,” he added.
On Saturday, Sisodia first visited the Hanuman mandir in Connaught Place along with several AAP leaders, followed by a visit to Rajghat, before arriving at the AAP office to address party workers gathered from the Delhi and Punjab.
The AAP leader “warned” opposition parties and the new constituents of the NDA that they might also face a situation similar to what the AAP is facing in the future, where their “top leaders will be arrested”.
He said that the AAP will soon launch preparations for the upcoming elections in Delhi and Haryana and urged party workers to dedicate themselves to the cause.
Sisodia also visited his lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi at his home and thanked him for appearing on his behalf in the Supreme Court, AAP said in a statement. Along with Manish Sisodia, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and MP Sanjay Singh, Minister Atishi and advocates of the party’s legal cell were also present during the meeting.
The senior AAP leader underlined that even though Kejriwal is in jail, he will remain the top-most leader of the party and stressed the rest of the AAP functionaries were Kejriwal’s associates. “We are just the horses of the chariot, and our captain is still in jail, but he will soon come out of jail,” said Sisodia.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Sachdeva slammed Sisodia for his remarks. “The people of Delhi will respond in the January 2025 Assembly elections. Manish Sisodia was granted bail under unusual conditions, he has to report to the police station at 10am twice a week and keep his phone location active 24×7,” said Sachdeva.
“The AAP leaders dreaming of seizing BJP’s security deposits in the upcoming Assembly elections should remember how the people of Delhi recently rejected their slogan during the Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, in the upcoming Assembly elections… they will also ensure that most of the AAP candidates lose their deposits,” said Sachdeva.