Manish Sisodia's arrest by CBI was an assault on democracy: CPIML(L)

Hitting out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, the CPIML(L) on Monday said the arrest of Delhi's deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI was an assault on democracy.

In a statement, CPIML(L) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said Sisodia was arrested on the "flimsy pretext" of non-cooperation.

Sisodia was arrested on Sunday evening in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

A special court in Delhi on Monday sent him to five-day CBI custody for effective interrogation to unravel the alleged scam.

"In yet another arrogant assault on democracy, the Modi government has once again used the institutions of CBI and ED to pursue its politics of vendetta," he said.

"Having lost the MCD elections and the bid to capture the mayoral posts by hook or by crook, the Modi-Shah regime has now resorted to this unscrupulous misuse of the central agencies. At a time when the whole world is questioning the Modi government's conspicuous silence about the Adani scam, and its refusal to probe this monument corporate fraud, the government is desperately trying to terrorise the opposition," he alleged.

Bhattacharya said the CPIML(L) strongly condemns the arrest of Sisodia, appealing to the people to rise in protest.

Meanwhile, the party decided to raise the Adani issue in the Bihar assembly.

"BJP's silence amid the allegations against the Adani Group smacks of collusion. What action has been taken to investigate the serious allegations made over the years against the Adani Group? We will expose BJP leaders inside and outside the assembly," said Mehboob Alam, the CPIML(L)'s legislative party leader.

The CPIML(L) with its 12 MLAs is a part of the seven-party ruling coalition in Bihar.