The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched the bank locker of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Ghaziabad on Tuesday, 30 August, in connection with the agency's probe of the Arvind Kejriwal government's excise policy.
A team of five CBI officials reached the bank, which is located at Sector 4 Vasundhara on the outskirts of Delhi, to conduct the raid. Sisodia and his wife were also present when the search took place.
"Nothing was found in my bank locker today just like nothing was found at my residence during the CBI raid. I am happy that I have got a clean chit. The CBI officials treated us well, and we also cooperated with them. The truth has won," Sisodia said while speaking to the press after the raid.
'Got a Clean Chit from CBI': Sisodia
After reaching the Delhi Assembly, Sisodia said that he had got a "clean chit" from the agency, and that items worth only Rs 70,000-80,000 were in the locker.
"We have answered all the questions of the Opposition. We can't answer lies being thrown by them. Only items worth Rs 70,000-80,000 including 'jhunjuna' (a toy) of my son was found in the locker by CBI," the deputy CM said.
He also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling it a "bacha chor party", in a reference to the arrest of a BJP corporator in the kidnapping case of a seven-month-old baby in Uttar Pradesh.
A day earlier, Sisodia had "welcomed" the CBI to conduct a search of his locker and had said that nothing incriminating would be found in it.
Sisodia on Monday tweeted, "Tomorrow CBI is coming to look into our bank locker. Nothing was found in the 14-hour raid at my house on 19th August. Nothing will be found in the locker either. Welcome, CBI. I and my family will fully cooperate in the investigation."
Raids at Sisodia's Residence
Earlier on 19 August, the central agency raided the residence of the Deputy CM, who has been named in a First Information Report (FIR) on alleged corruption charges.
The CBI has named Sisodia as the prime accused in the Delhi liquor excise case, which has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had claimed that Sisodia was being targeted because of the acclaim he had garnered after appearing on the front page of The New York Times for his efforts as the state's education minister.
The deputy CM had also alleged that the BJP got in touch with him and said that they would make him their chief ministerial candidate and drop the charges against him if he agreed to "break the AAP."
Meanwhile, a trust vote is scheduled to be held in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday at the behest of the AAP, which said that it would prove that it had the support of all its MLAs.
This comes amid alleged "poaching" attempts by the BJP to "topple" the Delhi government.
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