The CBI on Monday questioned Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the Delhi excise scam case for over nine hours, officials said.

Sisodia had arrived at the agency's headquarters around 11.15am on 17 October and was taken straight to the first floor of the anti-corruption branch, they said.

After the questioning, Sisodia told the media that the CBI had offered him Chief Minister's post if he joins the BJP or he would be forced to face a jail term.

He claimed that the "Operation Lotus" is still going on and this time the BJP has deployed CBI to break the Aam Aadmi Party.

Sisodia, giving himself a clean chit, said that BJP claims a Rs 10,000 crore excise scam. However he has found that there was no scam and that the case is fake.

Responding to Sisodia's claims, in a statement, CBI said that 'Sisodia was examined strictly on the allegations in the FIR and the evidence collected so far during the course of investigation'.

"His statement will be verified in due course and further action taken as per requirements of investigation," the agency said.

The Deputy CM was grilled for over nine hours on various aspects of the Delhi government's excise policy, his relations with other accused, including businessman Vijay Nair, and documents recovered during searches in the case, the officials said.

The CBI has also questioned Raghava Reddy, the son of YSRCP Lok Sabha MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, in the case, they said.

(with inputs from PTI)

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