Today (22nd March) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and is set to appear before a special court today. The arrest follows an investigation into the liquor policy case, with Kejriwal detained after failing to secure interim protection from the Delhi High Court.
NEW DELHI: Today (March 22): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 from his residence. He will be produced before a special court today.
The arrest followed a detailed search operation at Kejriwal’s residence by ED officials, and failure to secure interim protection from the Delhi High Court.
“It is the first time that a sitting CM has been arrested by the central government. Even the Jharkhand Chief Minister resigned before his arrest. In the country’s history, it is the first time that, after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the sitting CM has been arrested. Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest is the BJP’s political conspiracy,” Atishi said while addressing a press conference.
READ ALSO: Delhi Excise Policy Case :Why Is Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Refusing ED Summons?
AAP workers and leaders rallied behind Kejriwal following his arrest, while leaders of the India bloc also extended their support for the AAP leader.
While BJP leaders extended their support to the ED’s actions against the Delhi Chief Minister, emphasising that “truth had to prevail,”
AAP leaders criticized the arrest, labeling it a politically motivated act by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stifle opposition voices ahead of forthcoming elections.
“The BJP is attempting to silence a formidable critic of the Prime Minister by arresting the Delhi Chief Minister,” stated AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, who also highlighted the BJP’s vulnerabilities in the electoral bonds case as a potential motive for the arrest.
In contrast, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla defended the ED’s actions, suggesting that the AAP’s leadership is facing the consequences of alleged corruption.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla said,
“AAP leaders are saying that Arvind Kejriwal is not a human, but an ideology… The ideology is that he will be corrupt, and when the court takes action, he will call it an atrocity. And play the victim card… I want to ask them: Is the court finishing democracy? … The SC rejected Manish Sisodia’s bail. The SC said that there is a money trail of Rs. 338 crore. Sanjay Singh’s bail was rejected by the HC. If your teammates have been in jail for more than a year now, has the BJP done it or have the courts done it?.. Your BFF Congress found you drowned in the liquor scam.”
The controversy extends beyond AAP, with other parties in the India bloc expressing support for Kejriwal and accusing the BJP of misusing government agencies to harass opposition figures.
Congress leader KC Venugopal said,
“We are with the Aam Aadmi Party and Kejriwal ji…The EC has become a weapon of the government for vendetta politics against the opposition. They (the BJP) know they can’t win on their own, so they are doing vendetta politics against opposition leaders. This is a move to make India an autocratic country.”
READ ALSO: Arvind Kejriwal Expected to Attend Court Tomorrow Regarding Alleged ED Summons Evasion
The incident followed the recent arrest of Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader K. Kavitha, linked to the same excise policy investigation. Senior AAP figures Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are also under judicial custody related to the case.
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