Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, officials said, in a big setback to his Aam Aadmi Party and the opposition INDIA bloc just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The arrest, the first of a serving chief minister, came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the central probe agency.
The arrest of the 55-year-old bureaucrat-turned-activist-turned-politician at a time when the AAP seeks to expand its political footprint in the upcoming general elections drew strong condemnation from his party which is in power in Delhi and Punjab. Several opposition leaders also condemned the move and targeted the BJP and rallied behind Kejriwal.
The AAP said Kejriwal will continue as the chief minister of Delhi and that if need be, he will run the government from jail. The party also called for nationwide protests outside the BJP offices in the country, Delhi minister Gopal Rai said.
Kejriwal had skipped nine summonses issued by the agency for questioning, the latest being for Thursday, March 21. He has called these summonses “illegal”.
The ED officials questioned Kejriwal briefly before making the arrest. Some seizures have also been made, sources said but gave no details.
As soon as Kejriwal arrest became known. Several Opposition leaders hit out at BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi .
Sharad Pawar NCP (SCP)
Strongly condemn the vindictive misuse of central agencies to target the opposition, especially as general elections loom. This arrest showcases the depth to which BJP will stoop for power. ‘INDIA’ stands united against this unconstitutional action against #ArvindKejriwal
— Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) March 21, 2024
M K Stalin, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
Ahead of #Elections2024, driven by fear of a decade of failures and the imminent defeat, the Fascist BJP Govt sinks to despicable depths by arresting Hon’ble Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal, following the unjust targeting of brother @HemantSorenJMM.
Not a single BJP leader faces…
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 21, 2024
Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister Kerala
The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal is outright vicious and part of a callous plot to silence all opposition voices just ahead of the general elections. This exposes the cowardice of those who fear democratic process and calls for collective action to resist abuse…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) March 21, 2024
Rahul Gandhi, Former Congress president
डरा हुआ तानाशाह, एक मरा हुआ लोकतंत्र बनाना चाहता है।
मीडिया समेत सभी संस्थाओं पर कब्ज़ा, पार्टियों को तोड़ना, कंपनियों से हफ्ता वसूली, मुख्य विपक्षी दल का अकाउंट फ्रीज़ करना भी ‘असुरी शक्ति’ के लिए कम था, तो अब चुने हुए मुख्यमंत्रियों की गिरफ्तारी भी आम बात हो गई है।
INDIA इसका…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 21, 2024
Shashi Tharoor, Senior Congress Leader
Shocked by the news of the arrest of Delhi chief minister @ArvindKejriwal. Coming hard on the heels of the crippling freeze on @INCIndia’s bank accounts, it is clear that a systematic effort is on to subvert Indian democracy during our general elections.
If a model code of…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 21, 2024
Supriya Sule NCP(SCP)
I stand in solidarity with @ArvindKejriwal ji. This is yet another politically motivated arrest by the ED at the behest of the BJP Government to suppress the voice of the opposition & undermine the electorate at large. We are resilient and united in our fight for constitutional…
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) March 21, 2024
Sitaram Yechury , CPI (M) General Secretary
Strongly condemn the arrest of Delhi CM, Shri Arvind Kejriwal by the ED.
It’s the second sitting CM of the INDIA bloc to be arrested.
Clearly, Modi and the BJP are in panic over people’s rejection in the ongoing elections.
All opposition leaders who defected and joined the BJP…— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) March 21, 2024
