Delhi rice scam: AAP seeks CBI probe into Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa’s ‘role’
In Short
Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday re-circulated a letter he wrote to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director on September 24, referring to the federal probe agency’s FIR dated August 27 and sought a probe against Sirsa.
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Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has sought an investigation into alleged wrongdoings by Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa in a “multi-crore rupee scam” involving irregular sale of rice by the Food Corporation of India, Delhi (FCI) to a government agency in Guwahati, a party leader said.
Delhi AAP President Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday re-circulated a letter he wrote to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director on September 24, referring to the federal probe agency’s FIR dated August 27 and sought a probe against Sirsa.
“Investigate the role of the minister. Formally expand the scope of the ongoing criminal investigation in FIR No. RC2182026A0014 to thoroughly probe the active collusion, abuse of official position, and financial angles concerning Food and Supplies Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa,” he wrote.
He also requested the CBI to “secure ministry records” in the case revolving around alleged irregular sale of rice by the FCI, Delhi region, to the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC), Guwahati.
He asked the probe agency to “immediately raid, seize, and secure all official file routing logs, personal staff records, and electronic email communications from the Office of the Minister of Food & Supplies, GNCTD, for the period between January 2026 and June 2026, to prevent any deletion or tampering”.
Pointing to the alleged wrongdoings of officials of the FCI and NERAMAC, the AAP leader raised suspicion about an attempt to shield Sirsa.
Bharadwaj wrote, “A perusal of the FIR reveals a critical and glaring omission: the alleged primary political mastermind and facilitator of this institutional siphon, the Food and Supplies Minister of Delhi, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, has been left out of the formal list of accused.”
“The subordinate administrative wing has been locked down by law, yet the Cabinet Minister who allegedly actively authorised, enabled, and repeatedly cleared this black-market commercial pipeline continues to occupy his office, free to influence the probe and tamper with crucial state records,” he said.
“Therefore, this supplementary complaint is filed to place the explicit, document-backed criminal acts of Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa directly on your record, demanding his immediate inclusion in the ongoing criminal investigation,” said Bharadwaj.
The CBI registered an FIR in August on a complaint filed by the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs to look into the allotment of rice to NERAMAC by FCI, Delhi Region, under the category “Sale of Rice to State Government/Corporations of State”.
The CBI registered a corruption case against three officials of FCI and five others over alleged irregularities. The wrongdoings allegedly caused a loss of about Rs 28.87 crore to FCI, said the FIR.
The complaint said that the payment towards allocation of rice to NERAMAC was routed through various private entities which were either millers or wholesale dealers of rice. There was no record to show that the rice was distributed for the stated purpose.
It was alleged that had the quantity lifted by NERAMAC at concessional price been sold in the auction at a reserve price of Rs 28,900 per MT, the FCI would have realised an additional amount of Rs 28.87 crore.
