Delhi Chief Minister Atishi’s speech in the Delhi Assembly highlighted both triumph and sorrow as she expressed happiness at the reunion of AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. “Today, I want to say on behalf of all AAP MLAs that today is a day of happiness as after 1.5 years, Ram and Laxman of our party—Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia—are sitting here together in the House,” she said. However, Atishi didn’t hold back her sadness, pointing to the fact that Kejriwal, despite being elected by the people of Delhi, had to resign due to what she described as “the conspiracies of the BJP, because of the false cases framed by the BJP, because of being kept in jail for six months…”.
Atishi further accused the BJP and central agencies of orchestrating a relentless campaign against AAP leaders. “Over the past two years, BJP and its agencies have not left any stone unturned in harassing the Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders,” she said. She cited examples of raids conducted at AAP leaders’ homes, offices, and even paternal villages. “Even Manish ji’s locked locker was raided, but what did they get? We all have seen over the years that when the CBI raids at some place, wads of notes, gold biscuits, documents of shell companies, and illegal properties are found. But, even after thousands of raids, not even a single penny of corruption was recovered from a single AAP leader,” she added.
Manish Sisodia, a key figure in AAP’s leadership, has been at the center of a legal storm since his arrest in February 2023 in connection with the controversial Delhi excise policy. Despite his arrest and extended jail time, Sisodia’s case has been used by AAP to highlight what they describe as political victimization. Sisodia himself, upon his release, criticized the CBI and ED for their futile attempts to link him to corruption, stating that no evidence of financial wrongdoing was ever found during multiple raids. “They searched my bank locker, in which they found the ‘jhunjhuna’ (rattle) that my child’s grandmother had given him when he was born,” Sisodia remarked, adding, “Apart from that silver rattle, they did not find anything in the locker”.
This speech comes at a critical time, as the political tensions between AAP and BJP continue to intensify, especially with the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for early 2025. Despite the ongoing legal challenges and what AAP perceives as targeted political harassment, Atishi affirmed the resilience of AAP and its leadership. Her speech is part of a broader narrative that frames AAP as a party of integrity, fighting against what they describe as the BJP’s “dictatorship” and misuse of power.
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The broader implications of this speech suggest that AAP will continue to leverage these legal battles as a platform to galvanize support ahead of the elections. Atishi’s emphasis on how no corruption was found despite numerous raids, coupled with Sisodia’s personal anecdotes about the raids, is central to AAP’s defense against the BJP’s allegations.