Used to have mood swings, felt like a soldier of King Rukmi: Manish Sisodia on his 530 days in jail

Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, was arrested in Delhi excise policy case.

Released after 17 months following his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, said he used to have mood swings in the prison.

In an interview with Times of India, Sisodia said he spent 530 days in jail on “fake charges” but these fights gave positive results. “In jail, I used to have mood swings, sometimes after watching the news on TV, or due to the fate of my own case, or because of the general political discourse in the country. Incidents like the Hathras stampede and wrestlers’ protest disturbed me. I was in jail when the elections were going on. I felt like a soldier of King Rukmi (a character in Mahabharata who was not taken by either side and watched the war from the fence) who could not fight the war and felt restless. Imagine the emotions of a warrior who has been confined or isolated when the war is on. I lived that life. It was painful,” Sisodia said.

He told TOI that his priority now was ensuring that AAP wins the upcoming state assembly polls. However, Sisodia said he has no personal thoughts on whether he would be again inducted into the Delhi government. “I have just come out and am trying to understand a lot of things. The fact is that the elections are just a few months away and I will discharge whatever role is assigned to me. If the party or Arvind ji decide that I should join the government, I will. My priority is winning this election,” he said.

Sisodia also said he was proud that he belonged to a party which stayed “united” and in “high spirits” even when the entire senior leadership was under attack. “Such difficult times can break one’s resolve. But the volunteers and leaders stood their ground and didn’t let governance, or the party get affected. Both gave their best performance,” he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been in jail since March 21 and was earlier granted bail for a short period to campaign for his party during the Lok Sabha elections.

Explaining how the Delhi government plans to take governance forward in the absence of CM Kejriwal, Sisodia said there is not much need to hold regular cabinet meetings to take policy decisions. Under the transaction of business rules, the ministers can take important decisions. “As per the new Act, LG has got certain powers now. This is unconstitutional but it’s a law. It all depends on LG now. If he wants some work in the government to be done, he can easily get it done. And if he wants to stop any work, he can give the excuse that the CM is not there,” Sisodia told TOI.

Speaking about the law to bring services under LG, Sisodia said bureaucrats in Delhi are not suffering because AAP ministers are doing anything wrong. “They are suffering because there is no democracy left in Delhi. You cannot call it a democracy when people elect a government, but the central govt-appointed LG threatens the officers, transfers them or does not let them work. This is not AAP vs bureaucracy in Delhi. Anybody who thinks the weakening of democracy does not affect him, Delhi is a classic example…LG is known only for stopping the work of people of Delhi. Officers are not scared of us. They are scared of LG,” he said.

The former deputy CM also expressed confidence that CM Kejriwal will be out of jail soon. “The Supreme Court can play the role of a lawmaker. If an institution, central government in this case, misuses its powers or makes a wrong law, the Constitution empowers the other institution to check and balance it. Whenever the central govt misuses its powers, SC safeguards the rights of the affected states or individuals. It has happened in my case, and I am sure it will happen in Arvind ji’s case too. He will be out soon,” said Sisodia.