Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj will be sworn in as Ministers in the Delhi press on Thursday. This comes after President Droupadi Murmu Tuesday accepted the adoptions of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Minister Satyendar Jain, both presently lodged in Tihar jail in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The new ministers will fill the vacuities created after the arrest and posterior adoptions of former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
Sisodia has been arrested by the central office of disquisition (CBI) in connection with the 2021-22 excise policy, while Jain has been in jail for nine months in an alleged money laundering case. The President had on Tuesday approved the addition of Bharadwaj and Atishi into the Arvind Kejriwal press. Atishi represents the Kalkaji constituency and has been a crucial member of Sisodia’s education team. She had also queried the 2019 Lok Sabha pates from the East Delhi constituency and lost to BJP’s Gautam Gambhir.
Bhardwaj, the party’s public prophet, had served the Delhi Jal Board as its vice president. Saurabh Bhardwaj, the solon from Greater Kailash was also a minister during the first stint of the AAP government. After former Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain’s arrest last time, seven portfolios handled by him were shifted to Sisodia, who was looking after 18 departments when he was arrested. He’s now lodged in Tihar’s jail after Rouse Avenue Court on Monday transferred him to judicial guardianship till March 20. The excise policy was passed in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal- led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta Covid-19 epidemic in 2021.
The Delhi government’s interpretation is that the policy was formulated to insure the generation of optimum profit, annihilate the trade of spurious liquor ornon-duty paid liquor in Delhi, besides perfecting stoner experience. It was contended that irregularities were committed including variations in the Excise Policy and overdue favours were extended to the license holders including disclaimer or reduction in licence figure, an extension of L-1 license without blessingetc.
