Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: After a Delhi court remanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody until March 28 in connection with the excise policy case, the political arena witnessed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trading accusations. Addressing a press conference, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi criticised the BJP's approach, stating, "BJP wants to contest elections from behind the ED... Is ED a part of the BJP that the party is issuing their press release." She added, "To date, no proceeds of crime have been found by the ED against the AAP leaders... Today is a dark day in the history of the Democracy of the country."


Expressing disagreement with the court's decision, Atishi highlighted the challenges faced under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). "The Court has no other option but to give remands as per ED's allegations. This is why the ED files cases against Opposition leaders under PMLA. It is a law that makes bail nearly impossible," she remarked.






Kejriwal, the AAP national convener, was apprehended by the ED on Thursday night in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi government's excise policy for the year 2021-22, which has since been annulled.


On Kejriwal continuing to hold the Chief Minister's post, she told news agency ANI, "We, very respectfully and humbly disagree with the decision of the court. ED has no proof even after 2 years of investigation... ED forced their witnesses to give statements against Arvind Kejriwal... We will explore all possible legal routes... One by one opposition parties are being targetted in front of the judiciary... Arvind Kejriwal will always be the CM of Delhi. There is no Constitutional bar on him not being the CM. He has not been convicted till now..."






Union Minister Smriti Irani welcomed Kejriwal's arrest, stating, "Today, we got an account of how a person who sits on a constitutional post and cites honesty, defines corruption by misusing administrative machinery through the deeds of Arvind Kejriwal." She elaborated on the financial transactions mentioned in court, indicating misuse of administrative machinery by Kejriwal.


"In the court today, some bank transactions were prominently mentioned. One transaction was such, as per which, Sameer Mahendru (an accused in excise policy-linked money laundering case) transferred Rs 1 crore to Radha Industries. Secondly, Sameer Mahendru gave Rs 2-4 crore to Vijay Nair," she added, as per news agency PTI.






The Union Minister accused the Congress of contradicting its stance on the Liquor policy case and remarked, "I would like to give proof of how Rahul Gandhi rolls the dice on the same subject in diverse ways. On 2 July 2023 in Telangana, he said that KCR is also corrupt, there has been a liquor scam and all the agencies know about it... Ajay Maken had said that AAP used corruption money to defeat the Congress party in the Goa elections. So who was telling the truth?"






Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva claimed that Kejriwal was aware of the corruption surrounding the formulation and execution of the excise policy, citing the imprisonment of his former deputy Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh as evidence, PTI reported. Sachdeva further criticised Kejriwal for evading nine summons and remarked, "He himself skipped nine Enforcement Directorate summonses. He will now have to answer to the ED because he was involved in corruption that is why he has been arrested."


Referring to the AAP's vociferous protest against Kejriwal's arrest, Sachdeva invoked the proverb "Chor Machaye Shor" (the thief creates a commotion to divert attention from the crime), alleging that the AAP's outcry is indicative of its shamelessness. Sachdeva remarked, "The AAP and its leaders, despite their protests, have lost the moral high ground, eroding the trust of the people of Delhi."


Responding to claims by AAP leaders that Kejriwal would continue to govern Delhi from prison, North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari dismissed such assertions, stating that governance cannot be conducted from behind bars. Tiwari asserted, "We have seen gangs being run from jail, not any government." He further claimed, "Delhi's people were happy with the arrest, and firecrackers were burst and sweets distributed."






Tiwari also responded to AAP's planned protest in front of PM Narendra Modi's residence on March 26, remarking, "They said the same thing during the arrests of Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Satyendra Jain, so they can say what they want. But why are they bringing BJP into this?" ALSO READ | AAP To Gherao PM Modi's Residence On March 26 In Protest Against Kejriwal's Arrest: Delhi Minister Gopal Rai






Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: Congress Claims PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah 'Rattled' By I.N.D.I.A. Bloc


Earlier in the day, the Congress viewed Kejriwal's arrest as a political move, with General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stating, "This is vendetta politics." He emphasised the strength of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc and asserted unity among its parties, expressing confidence in the upcoming polls.


"This is vendetta politics, it has become very clear that the prime minister (Narendra Modi) and the home minister (Amit Shah) are rattled by the INDIA bloc which is a very strong alliance. This is not an alliance of seats it is a janbandhan (people's alliance). It has become very clear from this step that we are going to get the mandate in this election," Ramesh told PTI.


Ramesh accused the BJP of using investigative agencies against opposition leaders to divert attention from pressing issues. "This is all headline management," he concluded.


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