’Had to beg to pay son’s fees’: AAP’s Manish Sisodia recalls Tihar days, says ‘was told to think about family’

Launching an attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday recounted the financial difficulties his family had to undergo while he was imprisoned in Tihar following his arrest in now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.

“I had to beg for help to pay my son’s fees. I had told tell them that I have to pay my son’s fees and Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen by bank account,” the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister said while addressing a public gathering at the ‘Janta ki Adalat’ event held at Jantar Mantar.

Sisodia accused the BJP of attempting to create a rift between him and Arvind Kejriwal, though they failed.

“The BJP people wanted to break my and Arvind Kejriwal ji’s friendship, but they could not do that. If Ram ji and Lakshman ji had ever been separated in Ramayana and met again, they would have met like we both met on September 13 after Kejriwal ji came out of jail.”

Sisodia allegedly claimed that he got offers to switch to the BJP, but he told them that they are trying to separate Laxman from Ram.

“I was told to think about myself, and that no one thinks about anyone in politics. I was told to think about my family, my ailing wife, and my son who is in college. I told them that you are trying to separate Laxman from Ram. No Raavan in the world has the power to do that. For 26 years, Arvind Kejriwal has been my brother and political mentor,” he added.

Sisodia further claimed that they tried to break him by saying that Kejriwal had framed him. He further claimed that “I was told in the jail, ‘name Kejriwal, you will be saved.’

The AAP leader alleged that he and his party colleagues were arrested for breaking AAP. “ Our leaders were put in jail to stop the work of the people of Delhi. They were put in jail to break our government and party. But I am saying with great pride that neither our party broke nor our government fell. I was threatened and tempted to leave Aam Aadmi Party. But I did not give in and panic. We are soldiers of Arvind Kejriwal Ji and stand firmly with him.”

Earlier on August 9, Sisodia was released on bail in both ED and Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) cases linked to the Delhi excise policy scam. The apex court granted Sisodia bail on certain conditions. Manish Sisodia was also asked to furnish a bail bond of ₹10 lakh with two sureties. The apex court also ordered the former Delhi deputy CM to surrender his passport and report twice a week, on Monday and Thursday, before IO. He was also warned that any attempt to influence or tamper with evidence may land him in trouble.