Opposition must remain united to fight BJP’s dictatorship, says Manish Sisodia

New Delhi: Former Delhi deputy chief minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre was indulging in dictatorship and trying to break opposition parties.
Sisodia’s remarks came a day after he walked out of the Tihar Jail on Friday evening following bail by the Supreme Court 17 months after his arrest for alleged irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy case. 
Speaking to AAP workers at the party headquarters on Saturday afternoon, Sisodia said the opposition needs to remain united to fight dictatorship and added that soon Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail too.
Sisodia said that the Aam Aadmi Party is going to launch preparations for the upcoming elections in Delhi and Haryana and urged party workers to dedicate themselves to the cause right away. The Delhi assembly elections is likely to be held in February 2025 while for Haryana it is speculated to November 2024.
Also Read: Constitution’s power will also free Kejriwal: Sisodia after walking out of jail
“The BJP is expert in breaking the workers of other (opposition) parties. Despite that, you held your ground. I know the kind of pressure may have come upon you, but you all did not budge. Inside the jail, I saluted our workers and felt proud that they stayed united…,” said Sisodia, referring to the fact that despite the prolonged absence of AAP leaders, not many ditched the party.
Sisodia began his day by visiting Hanuman Mandir and later visited Raj Ghat before coming to the AAP office to address a group of party workers gathered from the Delhi Assembly as well as from Punjab.
The SC, while granting bail to Sisodia, held that his long incarceration of 17 months coupled with his continued detention in a case where there is no hope of trial ending anytime soon impinge on his fundamental right to liberty and speedy trial under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
“The ED (Enforcement Directorate) and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) cases were planned not because to probe any corruption but because Arvind Kejriwal has become a symbol of honesty in the country, and the conspiracy was hatched to damage that image…,” Sisodia told AAP leader.
The senior AAP leader underlined that though he is in jail, Kejriwal is the top-most leader of the party and stressed that he and others are just his associates. “We are just the horses of the chariot, and our captain is still in jail, but he will soon come out of jail. Kejriwal has the blessings of the god,” said Sisodia.
Sisodia thanked his lawyers, who faught the case for him. “Abhishek Manu Singhvi is like god to me. I want to thank Manu Singhvi,” said Sisodia.
Sisodia said that he would dedicate himself to strengthening the party, eyeing the upcoming assembly elections in Delhi and Haryana. AAP has high stakes in the two elections going to be held. 
“I have come to sweat, not to rest. From today we are going to dedicate ourselves (to upcoming assembly elections in Delhi and Haryana). I want to tell people in Delhi and Haryana that we will need to vote against dictatorship,” said Sisodia.
AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said the upcoming assembly elections in Delhi in February next year will be an election of revenge, adding, “We need to ensure that the BJP doesn’t win a single of the 70 seats in Delhi.”
AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked party workers to dedicate themselves to election preparations from today itself and ensure that the BJP badly loses the assembly election.
Also Read: Manish Sisodia walks out of Tihar jail after 17 months: ‘I was not alone’
Referring to the ongoing tussle between the elected government of Delhi and some bureaucrats over the release of funds for some projects and departments, Sisodia said it was part of dictatorship.
“The budget of the Delhi Jal Board has not been released for the last 1.5 years; drains are not being cleared due to funds not being released… this is dictatorship. The projects and policies of the elected government are being stalled by governors and LGs in the country. This is dictatorship…,” said Sisodia.
“If India has to be made a developed country before 2047, there is no way other than providing good government schools for each child in the country. If someone promises to make India a developed country without improving public education and health services, then the person is speaking lies,” said Sisodia.
“We will go to every household and tell people that Kejriwal has been put in jail because he transformed education and health sectors. Our fight is against dictatorship,” said Sisodia.
He added, “If we need to fight dictatorship, we need to stay united. I want to tell the constituents of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) and INDI Alliance that we will together have to fight. You should not think you are safe from dictatorship today because we are the victims; your number will also come…,” said Sisodia.