Is court harassing Sisodia mentally by denying bail: BJP leader slams AAP

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is playing the victim card in connection with Manish Sisodia's arrest and asked if the court is mentally "harassing" the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister by not granting him relief.

Taking a potshot at the AAP, Poonawalla alleged that the party has transformed from a party which rose from the 'India against corruption' movement to a party protecting and celebrating corruption.

"This is the complete transformation of a political party that started its journey as India against corruption. Today they are doing celebration and protection of corruption they are looking at the action against corruption as mental harassment. Is the court also harassing mentally Sisodia by not giving Sisodia or Satyendar Jain relief? They are playing the victim card to safeguard themselves from the allegations of corruption. The AAP should answer the questions related to the Excise policy case," the BJP leader said while speaking to ANI.

"Those who are responsible for the harassment of the people of Delhi by indulging in such corruption today instead of answering the questions on Sharab Ghotala, on telling us why the Sharab Ghotala was done and how such favours were given, they play the constant victimhood guide people of Delhi have rejected this card," he added.

The remarks of the BJP leader came after Arvind Kejriwal and eight other leaders from different political parties wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with Sisodia's arrest.

The leaders alleged that the timings of the lodging of cases or arrests of the Opposition leaders "coincided with elections" which makes it clear that the action taken was "politically motivated".

"We hope you would agree that India is still a democratic country. The blatant misuse of central agencies against the members of the opposition appears to suggest that we have transitioned from being a democracy to an autocracy," the leaders wrote.

Calling the action against Sisodia, who was arrested on February 26 by the CBI, a "long witch-hunt", the letter alleged that the allegations levelled in connection with the excise policy are a "smack of a political conspiracy".

They claimed that Sisodia's arrest has "enraged" people across the country and alleged that his arrest will "confirm what the world was only suspecting" that India's democratic values were "threatened" under the BJP rule.

"The allegations against Sisodia are outrightly baseless and smack of a political conspiracy. His arrest has enraged people across the country. Manish Sisodia is recognised globally for transforming Delhi's school education. His arrest will be cited worldwide as an example of a political witch-hunt and further confirm what the world was only suspecting - that India's democratic values stand threatened under an authoritarian BJP regime," the leaders wrote.

Among the Opposition leaders who were the signatories of the letter included BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, JKNC chief Farooq Abdullah, AITC chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

However, there were no representations from Congress, JDS, JD (U), and CPI (M) in the letter.