CBI issues statement after Sisodia claims he was asked to leave AAP at liquorgate grilling

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has refuted Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's wild claim that he was pressurised to leave Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during an almost ten-hour-long interrogation in connection with the liquor scam on Monday.

The agency said that Sisodia was examined strictly on the allegations in the First Information Report (FIR) and the evidence collected during the course of the investigation.

"CBI strongly refutes these allegations and reiterates that examination of Shri Sisodia was carried out in a professional and legal manner strictly as per the allegations against him in the FIR. The investigation of the case will continue as per law," CBI said, adding that the statement given by Sisodia during quizzing will be verified and further action will be taken as per requirment of the investigation.

Sisodia says he 'was asked to leave AAP for CM Post' in CBI Office

Speaking to the media after interrogation, the AAP leader claimed, "BJP says there is a Rs 10,000 crore excise scam. I found at the CBI office that there is no scam and the case is fake. The fake case against me is a conspiracy to make BJP's 'Operation Lotus' success in Delhi."

Sisodia also alleged that he was pressurised to quit AAP. "I was asked inside the CBI office to leave (AAP), or else such cases will keep getting registered against me. I was told 'Satyendar Jain ke upar konse sachhe cases hain?'...I said I won't leave AAP for BJP. They said they'll make me CM," he said.

CBI had grilled the Delhi Deputy CM on various aspects of the AAP government's excise policy, his relations with other accused, including businessman and AAP leader Vijay Nair, and documents recovered during the searches, the officials said.

The agency also questioned Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) Lok Sabha MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy's son Raghava Reddy in the case.