NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MARCH 21
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party National convener Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate officials on Thursday night in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, official sources said.
- Delhi CM moves Supreme Court and his legal team is attempting to seek an urgent hearing on the matter
- The arrest came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to Kejriwal from any coercive action by the agency
- Opposition leaders slam the highhanded action ahead of Lok Sabha polls
इंक़लाब की मशालें थाम लो
संपूर्ण क्रांति का समय आ गया हैरौंद रही है देश को जो तानाशाह सरकार
उसे उखाड़ फेंकने का समय आ गया है #IStandWithKejriwal pic.twitter.com/5pBHJbuYb1— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 21, 2024
Before his arrest, the agency questioned the chief minister at his residence for two hours.
The arrest came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to Kejriwal from any coercive action by the agency.
Soon after the high court order, an ED team reached his residence and carried out searches. Subsequently, he was arrested.
આખરે ED એ દિલ્લીના મુખ્યમંત્રી શ્રી અરવિંદ કેજરીવાલની ધરપકડ કરીને સાબિત કર્યું કે તે ભાજપના ઈશારે કામ કરનારી સંસ્થા બનીને રહી ગઈ છે. ભાજપના ઈશારે ED એ જે આ પગલું લીધું છે તે ભાજપને ખૂબ ભારે પડશે.@isudan_gadhvi pic.twitter.com/ed5BwIxFNa
— AAP Gujarat (@AAPGujarat) March 21, 2024
Earlier, Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court seeking protection from any coercive action by the ED in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Meanwhile, the AAP said Kejriwal will continue to hold his post. “We have received news that ED has arrested Arvind Kejriwal. We have always said that Arvind Kejriwal will run the government from jail. He will remain the CM of Delhi. We have filed a case in the Supreme Court. Our lawyers are reaching SC. We will demand SC have an urgent hearing tonight,” AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi said.
“The HC issued a notice today to the ED as to why are the summons not being quashed, and why interim relief shall not be provided to Arvind Kejriwal. Without waiting for the decision of the court, ED has arrived to arrest Arvind Kejriwal…This is a conspiracy to arrest him,” she said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said “BJP’s political team ED cannot imprison Arvind Kejriwal’s thinking”.
In a post on on X, Mr Mann said, “BJP ki rajnitik team ED Kejriwal ki soch ko qaid nahi kar sakti kyunki AAP hee BJP ko rok sakti hai..Soch ko kabhi bhi dabaya nahi ja sakta. (BJP’s political team ED, cannot imprison Kejriwal’s thinking..because only AAP can stop the BJP. Thinking can never be suppressed.)”
Opposition leaders slam the highhanded action ahead of Lok Sabha polls
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a sharply-worded message, called Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest this evening by the Enforcement Directorate “completely wrong and unconstitutional”. The Delhi Chief Minister was taken into custody in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam.
Vadra is the first INDIA bloc leader to slam the arrest.
“Targeting Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal in this manner due to elections is completely wrong and unconstitutional. Lowering the level of politics in this manner suits neither the Prime Minister nor his government,” she wrote on X, minutes after the arrest.
“Fight your critics in the electoral battle, confront them boldly, and of course attack their policies and working style – this is democracy. But in this way, using the power of all the institutions of the country to fulfill one’s political objective and weakening them by exerting pressure is against every principle of democracy,” she added.
Another Congress leader, Karti Chidambaram, also reacted to the development and called it an absolute fascism.
“Two sitting Chief Ministers arrested before general elections, absolute fascism. The ‘law’ has been weaponised. Will we the people save our nation?” Karti Chindambaram tweeted.
The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) called the ED crackdown on Delhi Chief Minister a “systematic and planned move” by the BJP, which targets its opponents using central agencies.
“The ED raid on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is a systematic and planned move by the BJP. It is evident and known that all those in the opposition and the INDIA bloc who speak against the BJP are targeted by using central agencies,” NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.
