Interview/ Manish Sisodia, former deputy chief minister, Delhi
Sporting his trademark pink shirt, Manish Sisodia is his usual affable self. “Yes, I am here now,” says the former deputy chief minister of Delhi with a smile as he sits down for an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, referring to his long stint in jail.
After spending more than 17 months behind bars in the Delhi excise policy case, Sisodia says he is grateful for just being able to be with his family and friends, without the police looking on. One of the first photos he posted on X after his release was of him enjoying a cup of tea with wife Seema. He captioned it, “First morning tea of freedom”.
Relief is writ large on the face of the 52-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court. He is in a sparsely furnished room, and the wall behind his seat has a picture of Bhagat Singh, idolised by the AAP. On the side table, there is a statue of Lord Hanuman, who AAP leaders say helps remove obstacles in their path and blesses them in times of crisis.
Sisodia speaks at length on his time in Tihar, recollecting his struggles with isolation in jail and the constant surveillance. He says he turned to his passion, which is reading, to pass time. Spiritual succour came from reading the Upanishads and the Gita, he says.
Sisodia gets emotional talking about the impact of his imprisonment on his wife and son. His wife suffers from multiple sclerosis and Sisodia says she has had to bear the brunt of the political fight that he is involved in. He says it hurts him that he was not there for his teenaged son when he needed his father’s counsel.
Sisodia is aware that he has to hold the fort in the absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He has hit the ground running with padyatras and meetings with party leaders and workers. Sisodia, however, says he is in no hurry to rejoin the cabinet, and his priority is to reconnect with people. Excerpts from the interview:
You were in jail for 17 months. How did you feel when you heard that you got bail?
My bail plea was getting rejected for the past 17 months on baseless grounds. So I was a little apprehensive, especially because I was deliberately booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Section 45 of the Act makes it very difficult to get bail. Such laws are enacted mainly to curb heinous crimes like terrorism and drug financing, but the Central government has used it against political opponents like me to make it difficult for us to get bail. When I learnt about the Supreme Court’s order [on bail], I was confident that despite the draconian laws being misused, there are courts and the Constitution to protect us. These are the scenarios that Baba Saheb Ambedkar and others must have thought of while drafting the Constitution―to empower the ordinary citizen under Article 21. I am grateful for that.
How does it feel to be out here now?
It feels very nice indeed. From within the jail walls, I could see only a limited part of the sky and I would wonder whether the outside world we belong to actually exists or was that just a dream! To meet your family and friends without cops and to be able to think and work freely is the biggest blessing.
How did you keep yourself occupied in jail? Were you able to interact with other inmates?
For security and other reasons, I was confined to a ward and was escorted by officers if I needed medical attention or if I had to go for video conferencing and legal meetings. I was not free to roam around. Within the ward, there were five or six people with whom I interacted. In the beginning, they were strictly instructed by the jail administration to avoid interacting with me.
I was confined to a small cell which remained locked for 15 hours and the remaining time when I was allowed to move around in a small complex near my cell, I could not talk to anyone. I spoke to the officers about it, and I asked them why they were punishing me by not allowing me to talk to others. The courts had not ordered anything like that. Plus, the television in my cell did not have a news channel. I was told that it was stopped during the Delhi riots. Along with other inmates, I wrote to the jail administration and after five or six months, a news channel was provided inside jail. Besides, I read a lot of books. I am a bookworm. I read all the books, many on education, which I had bought during my visits to different cities. I also pursued my spiritual interests. I got the time to read in depth scriptures like the Upanishads and the Gita.
When Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came out on interim bail, he spoke about 24x7 surveillance and efforts to break him psychologically.
When you are in jail, you are locked in a cell monitored by CCTV. Except the small corner where the washroom is located, all your actions are watched, whether you are sleeping, eating, changing clothes, reading, everything is being watched. And people used to come and tell me that the CCTV feed was being watched, and this was the reason why no one would talk to me. I was told that the feed was being watched in the superintendent’s room, in the control room and even in the director general’s office. Imagine being watched all the time. Of course, it was not an easy thing, mentally.
Did you ever get a chance to meet Kejriwal in jail?
No. Within the Tihar complex, there are several jails with different officers and staff. I was in jail number one and Kejriwal was lodged in another jail which was across a big wall.
Your wife has been ailing. You were not able to be by her side when she needed you the most.
It was a difficult time. I was mentally ready to tolerate the hardship that politics brings with it, especially when you are fighting and challenging powerful people. My wife suffers from multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease, and the only cure, as advised by doctors, is a happy and healthy life. However, she bore the brunt of what happened and suffered more than me. My arrest brought great trauma for her and her condition continued to deteriorate. But I am thankful to my family, my party and its leadership. They would laugh and cry with her in my absence so that emotionally she would feel that she was not alone. But I was most hurt when people would say that because I was a minister, I would not have tended to my wife and questioned my request to take care of her. They said there must be others in the house to take care of her.
What about your son? How did it impact him?
Thankfully, the atmosphere in my house prepared him for hardships. We used to go together for the Anna movement. He used to accompany me for the protests. He was not expecting a soft life, being the son of a struggler and a fighter. Still, he is in his teenage years which is a sensitive time for any child. I used to ask him if he needed anything when I was in jail. But he always responded in the negative. I used to feel bad because at his age when children expect certain things from their parents, I was not there for him. It was personally tough. However, the trust, respect and love that I have received in the past 17 months outweigh the personal trauma. We should be ready to tolerate pain if we are fighting for a cause.
The AAP and other opposition parties have spoken about the misuse of the PMLA. The Supreme Court is going to hear petitions challenging the Act.
Laws like the PMLA are made with the intent to fight terrorism and drug financing. But if these laws are misused to crush political opponents or extort money from the business community, it is very unfortunate. I am hopeful that the Supreme Court will take a view on that. Also, if you give an officer the power to arrest with such stringent bail provisions as is the case with PMLA, then the officer’s accountability should also be fixed and it should be ensured that no officer acts in a manner so as to support the party in power or get them donations. It is also very important to free them (officers) from the political clutches. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will look into these issues.
How soon do you expect Kejriwal to get bail in the CBI case from the Supreme Court?
All of the BJP’s efforts have been aimed at making sure that Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Satyendar Jain and I remain in jail till the elections. As soon as the government realised that Kejriwal will get bail in the ED case, they got him booked in another fake case by the CBI. Kejriwal is being kept inside by misusing power. I am grateful to the Supreme Court that despite being wrongly booked under the stringent PMLA, it made sure that democracy, Constitution and liberty have prevailed. I am sure that the judgment on Kejriwal’s bail will also be a landmark one, especially after the Supreme Court’s observations in my case, underscoring right to life and liberty.
How is Kejriwal’s prolonged absence affecting the party morale?
I had my own assessment and assumptions when I was in jail. But now when I am meeting people, I realise that they acknowledge how Kejriwal fought the BJP, the Central government and the lieutenant governor to ensure that good work continued to happen in Delhi. Whether it was good schools, mohalla clinics, or doorstep delivery, he got it all done. Unfortunately, with him behind bars, that fight is not taking place and some works have suffered. But I am sure that as soon as Kejriwal comes out, he will make up for the lost work.
There is also the question about the incarceration of a sitting chief minister, creating complications for governance in Delhi. How is Kejriwal running the government from jail?
Ministers meet him. He gives them suggestions. But most important, all the ministers know Kejriwal’s intent behind any scheme. The work on that intent and ideology is happening even in his absence. What is missing is the leader. He would put up a fight whenever the BJP tried to stop work in Delhi through the LG and the officers. That is the reason why the BJP’s strategy is to keep Kejriwal in jail because they know that he would get the work done despite the obstacles. Free electricity to lakhs of people, free medical care for over two crore people through mohalla clinics are examples of Kejriwal’s passion for work. The existing issues like de-silting of sewers have emerged because the BJP and the LG are not releasing funds. Kejriwal will come out and fight as he has done in the past to get things done.
No cabinet meetings have taken place, and no major policy decisions are made because the chief minister is in jail.
The ministers are empowered to run their respective departments. But, unfortunately, the Central government has complicated the situation by amending the GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), Act. Now, the LG is empowered. In the previous system, ministers were empowered to work with their officers. Now if the LG wants to get any work done, he directly calls for the file from the ministers. However, if he has to stop any work, he says it should be sent through the chief minister. Therefore, the obstacles in our work are because of the attitude of the BJP and the LG. But it is a matter of time that these things will be resolved when the chief minister comes out.
Now that you are out of jail, what are your foremost priorities?
My priority now is to go to the people. A disconnect of 17 months is significant for any political person. Therefore, I am reconnecting with the people. I am listening to their problems and assessing the situation. I am glad that in the padyatras that I have done in the past few days, I am being warmly welcomed by the people of Delhi. Their concern for us matters a lot. They are praying for Kejriwal to come out as well. This sentiment keeps us going. My priority is to be among the people.
How do you view the performance of the AAP in the Lok Sabha elections, especially in Delhi where it failed to win a single seat?
Every election has its own dynamics. There is a pattern in which Delhi votes. I am not going into the reasons. In 2014, 2019 and 2024 we did not get any seat in the Lok Sabha polls despite our historic mandates in the assembly elections in 2015 and 2020. Delhi decided to keep the pattern intact. You may attribute it to the fact that we did not get public sympathy or our strategy was perhaps not right. But this has been the pattern in the parliamentary elections despite people saying that a lot of work has been done. But I am glad that the people are now clear about what they want in Delhi. They want Kejriwal to come out as soon as possible.
You are out on bail, but the trial will go on. How will the AAP counter the corruption allegations levelled by the BJP?
A lot of cases were wrongly imposed on us earlier also which were quashed by the courts. This (Delhi liquor policy case) is the biggest so far. We are confident because we have done nothing wrong and our team, workers and leaders know this. That is the reason why the AAP did not break down in such times of crisis. People know the truth and have clarity on this issue.
What is the feedback you are getting for Delhi elections this time? What are the issues on which people will repose faith in the AAP?
Kejriwal’s concern for the people resonates among the electorate. He ensured that in times of inflation, people are not burdened with expenses on education, health care and electricity. It is an economic model that keeps inflation in check in Delhi, generates employment and prevents tax evasion. Every resident of Delhi has benefited from Kejriwal’s governance model. A big difference is being made to the lives of the people and I can see that sentiment in my padyatras. People hug me and tell me we have been wronged.
Haryana elections have been announced. It seems to be a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress. The AAP is vigorously campaigning. Where do you see the AAP in Haryana elections?
When we went to Punjab, there used to be a three-cornered contest between the Congress, the Akalis and the BJP. We worked hard and came to power. In Gujarat and Goa, we have MLAs. In Haryana also, the Kejriwal model of governance that focuses on issues that matter the most to the people, as evidenced in Delhi and Punjab, will yield good results.
Do you see yourself playing a role in government formation in Haryana?
It is up to the people of Haryana what role they give to us. We are raising issues which nobody else is raising. The BJP government has disappointed the people of Haryana in the past ten years. People are looking for a change. How much space they give us remains to be seen.
Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, has been standing in for her husband. She has been campaigning actively. What role do you see her playing in the days to come?
It is very rare that the family of a leader who is fighting a political battle of this kind takes the struggle forward without any greed. The way she has communicated Kejriwal’s feelings and sentiments to the people is commendable and it has developed a connect. But when Kejriwal comes out I do not think it would be necessary as he himself will connect with the public.
Is there any possibility of the Congress and the AAP joining hands for the Haryana polls?
It is hard for me to say much on Haryana as my focus for now is on Delhi. There are teams working on strategies for Haryana and once Kejriwal is out, things will move ahead further. It is difficult for me to say yes or no at this stage. Let us see how things unfold in the near future.
You are presently holding padyatras in Delhi. What kind of response are you getting? What are the people telling you?
Interestingly, people are meeting me like they meet their own family members after a long gap. The familiarity with which people greet me is beyond my imagination. Schoolchildren are welcoming me. It is heartening to see so much love. Besides, people have small issues of their localities which they share with me and I make a note of those issues.
A lot has changed since you went to jail. How do you see the performance of Delhi government in the last two years?
This whole story began with the BJP challenging the Constitution. The Supreme Court clearly said that the Delhi government had the mandate to control services. The Centre gave the powers back to the LG through an ordinance. In the last one year, the BJP has not given any attention to what will happen to the people of Delhi. For example, the Delhi government gives money to the Delhi Jal Board in the budget, but that money is not being released by the officers on the directions of the LG and the BJP. Moreover, by putting all senior leaders of the AAP in jail and in the absence of Kejriwal, governance has been affected to some extent. Had Kejriwal been out, he would be fighting for Delhi’s issues. That is the difference his absence makes.
You were deputy chief minister when you were arrested. When are you returning to the cabinet?
I am not thinking about that right now. My immediate priority is to meet the people and I am enjoying it. The ministers are also giving their best. So there is nothing that I can do better if I join the cabinet. When Kejriwal is out, my role in the party or the government would be reviewed. There is no hurry.
If Kejriwal continues to be in jail for a longer time, is there a possibility that you will step in for him?
There is little possibility that he remains inside jail for a long time. When he has got bail in the ED case, which has more stringent sections, it should not be a problem to secure bail in the CBI case. We are quite optimistic that he will get bail soon.