The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate has sent shockwaves echoing around Punjab and Haryana. The unexpected arrest of Kejriwal has sparked buzzing tweets from various party leaders, unveiling a landscape filled with tension and dissent.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on 21 March 2024 after establishment of connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case, following High Court’s denial to provide Kejriwal with protection against coercive action by the agency. This development which came forward under the shadow of legal proceedings, has sparked condemnation from different political parties, each raising their concerns and threat to democracy.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan, a prominent member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in a post on X 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 the AAP can stop the BJP. Thinking can never be suppressed).”
Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema also described the situation as emblematic of a dictatorial regime bent on destabilizing the democracy “This dictatorial regime is making a mockery of constitutional norms and killing the spirit of democracy by destroying the opposition in every way”
Cheema posted on X.
In neighbouring state Haryana, Sushil Gupta, President of AAP’s Haryana unit, resonates to Mann’s sentiments denounce the arrest as “black day for democracy” and accused Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) of orchestrating a calculated assault on Arvind Kejriwal.“This is a black day for democracy. The BJP is already trying to destroy the country’s democracy. You have arrested him, how will you stop his ideology?” he said on a video posted on X. He added, “This period is an undeclared emergency created by BJP. The party, scared of the INDIA alliance, is conspiring to stop Kejriwal. Pressure is being put on him to separate from the INDIA alliance, but BJP does not know that the entire country stands with Kejriwal. I am going to Delhi immediately,” Gupta said.
Leaders from different parties also joined the group of condemnation. Punjab Congress President Amrinder Singh Raja Warring denouunced the arrest as an act of “fascism”, accusing BJP to forcing drastic tactics to mute the voice of the opposition. Senior Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda echoed Warring’s sentiments and alleged BJP party of misusing government agencies to target opposition leaders.
Hooda described the arrest of Kejrival as an unfortunate event but expected because as per his statemtne the BJP government is eliminating strong leader in its opposition defaming political parties by these kind of actions.
Amidst this cacophony voices of disagreement were also raised from within the BJP itself, Brijendra Singh, son of senior BJP leader Birender Singh, decried the arrest as unconstituitional. Singh’s leaving the BJP party highlights the fractious nature of Kejriwal’s arrest.
