The Aam Aadmi Party reacted strongly to the arrest of Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Sunday in connection with the liquor policy scam in the national capital.
Sisodia was formally arrested after 8 hours of grilling by the Central Bureue of Investigation (CBI). AAP workers and leaders staged massive protests outside the CBI headquarters with several being detained by the Delhi Police.
Section 144 was imposed outside the CBI office to maintain law and order.
AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was one of the first leaders from the party to condemn Sisodia's arrest.
"Manish is innocent. His arrest is dirty politics. There is a lot of anger in people from the arrest of Manish. People are watching. People understand everything. People will answer it," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
'Black day for democracy'
"Black day for democracy. BJP's CBI arrested the world's best education minister @msisodia in a fake case, who is shaping the future of lakhs of children. BJP has made this arrest due to political rivalry," the AAP said.
Party spokesperson Sanjeev Jha termed the arrest "dictatorial" and said, “Modi ji did not do well by arresting the best education minister of the country. This dictatorship will end soon.”
AAP leaders blame Modi, Centre
AAP's Sanjay Singh directly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the arrest.
"Manish Sisodia's arrest is the height of dictatorship. Modi ji, you have not done a good thing by arresting a good person and the best Education Minister. Even God will not forgive you. One day your dictatorship will definitely end," Singh tweeted.
AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj blamed the Centre for Sisodia's arrest.
"The CBI is completely at the behest of the centre. We always knew Manish Sisodia would be arrested. It is sad and predictable how the probe agencies work," Bharadwaj said.
The BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa denied claims by the AAP that the CBI is being misused by the centre.
"He may have done work on education. But that doesn't mean he should indulge in corruption in liquor policy," Sirsa told NDTV, referring to Mr Sisodia's education and finance portfolios.
