Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain resign from Delhi cabinet

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the 2021-22 excise policy, and Satyendar Jain, who has been in jail for nine months in an alleged money laundering case, resigned from the Delhi cabinet on Tuesday.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has accepted the resignation of the two ministers, a Delhi government spokesperson said. The exit of the two ministers brings down the strength of the Delhi cabinet to five.

A Delhi government spokesperson said the chief minister did not intend to induct new ministers at this stage and was likely to distribute the 18 portfolios held by Sisodia among his two cabinet colleagues, Kailash Gahlot, and Raaj Kumar Anand.

The city government announced the resignation of the two ministers after the Supreme Court declined Manish Sisodia’s request to interfere and release him on bail, noting that an efficacious alternative remedy was already available.

At the time of his arrest, Manish Sisodia handled 18 of the 33 departments such as education, finance, planning, health, power, urban development and public works department.

Seven of these departments, health, industries, power, home, urban development, irrigation and flood control, and water, were originally held by Satyendar Jain.

When Satyendar Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May last year, Kejriwal decided to allocate his portfolios to Sisodia. Jain continued to be a minister without a portfolio till Tuesday.

Sisodia’s arrest is connected to the excise policy in which CBI claims kickbacks were paid. The policy was rolled out for the 2021-22 financial year in November 2021, marking the exit of the government from retail sales of alcohol and allowing private companies to bid for licenses. The objective, the Delhi government said, was to improve the buying experience for citizens by allowing market competition to raise standards.

But the policy was scrapped when LG VK Saxena asked for an investigation, citing a report by the chief secretary who alleged irregularities. The AAP and the Delhi government have rejected the charges, alleging it to be a ploy by the BJP-controlled Union government to target its rival.