New Delhi: Amid an ongoing war of words between the Narendra Mod-led BJP and the Aam Aadmi party, the Centre has now suspended two senior officers - A Gopi Krishna (IAS) and Anand Kumar Tiwari, a DANICS officer - in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. It may be noted that Krishna was the excise commissioner in the Delhi government and Anand Kumar was the deputy excise commissioner.


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The Centre issued the suspension order for the two officials after they were named in the FIR filed by the CBI in connection with its ongoing probe into the case, the officials said.


While Krishna is a 2012 batch Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre officer, Tiwari is a 2003 Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Civil Service (DANICS) cadre officer.


The BJP has, meanwhile, stepped up its attack on the Arvind Kejriwal-AAP government in Delhi over the issue and sought an explanation.


   



 


Delhi Excise Police case


Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is among the 15 individuals and entities named in the FIR registered by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.


The agency on Friday carried out searches at 31 places including Sisodia's residence and premises of some bureaucrats, including Excise Commissioner Krishna and two other Excise Department officials, and businessmen.


Sisodia denies corruption allegations and makes sensational claim


AAP no. 2 and Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has denied any wrongdoing and irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22. He has claimed that the senior AAP leaders are being targeted by the BJP government at the Centre due to fear of the Kejriwal-led party's growing political influence in the country.


Sisodia also made a sensational claim saying that the BJP recently offered him the CM’s post if he breaks AAP and joins the saffron party. He further claimed that if he “accepted the BJP’s offer”, he was assured that all ongoing CBI and ED cases against him will be withdrawn – a claim categorically denied by the ruling party at the Centre.


Sisodia, who is under the CBI scanner in connection with the probe into Excise Policy case probe, has the audio recording of the "offer" made by the BJP to him that all ED and CBI cases against him will be dropped if he switched sides, sources in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Admi Party party said on Monday.


The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will make the audio recording public "when the time comes", the sources added. "We have the audio recording of the BJP's offer and will make it public to expose the saffron party when the time comes," one of the sources was quoted as saying by the PTI.


BJP later hit back at him and his party and asked them to name the person who made the “offer” to Sisodia.