Congress has rejected the charge of ‘double standards’ for not signing a petition of eight Opposition parties that questioned CBI‘s arrest of Manish Sisodia and protested the Centre’s ‘misuse’ of probe agencies. It also questioned AAP’s record in expressing solidarity with other Opposition parties when they faced similar distress.

Maintaining that Congress had always opposed and condemned “increasing misuse of central agencies against Opposition parties since 2014”, including the latest action against Rabri Devi, Congress spokesman Supriya Shrinate said in New Delhi on Friday, “when central agencies acted against Opposition leaders, be it against our own leaders, or against leaders of Bihar or Maharashtra, why didn’t AAP leaders say a word against it? Why did the AAP leadership choose to be mum? You (AAP) have to decide whether you are BJP‘s B Team or with the Opposition. If you are with the Opposition, you will have to stand up with Opposition parties on all issues.”

Congress question appears to have been designed to advertise AAP’s reluctance, unlike many other Opposition parties, in condemning ED’s questioning of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders or when probe agencies raided or arrested RJD’s Lalu Prasad and many Shiv Sena/NCP leaders. Unlike earlier, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday criticised CBI’s questioning of RJD’s Rabri Devi, the first high-profile leader to face CBI action after Sisodia’s arrest.

Shrinate said the Delhi excise policy needed probe. She also chided agencies for not going after a Karnataka BJP leader arrested by Lokayukta for graft and his son for allegedly taking ₹40 lakh bribe.

Political circles are now keenly watching whether KCR’s daughter Kavitha too would face the heat of central agencies in the liquor policy case.