'Fight Your Critics In Electoral Battle': Oppn Attacks PM Modi, BJP Over CM Kejriwal's Arrest

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that Kejriwal was targeted in this manner due to upcoming elections and called the arrest "completely wrong and unconstitutional."

The AAP chief was arrested after over two hours of questioning by an ED team in connection to the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: Several opposition leaders on Thursday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP over the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. The AAP chief was arrested after over two hours of questioning by an ED team in connection to the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The arrest came hours after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against "coercive action" by the agency, which has issued multiple summons to him.

Several leaders, including Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, AIADMK Spokesperson Kovai Sathyan and NCP Spokesperson SCP Clyde Crasto, reacted to Delhi CM's arrest.

Vadra said that Kejriwal was targeted in this manner due to upcoming elections and called the arrest "completely wrong and unconstitutional."

Taking to X, the Congress general secretary wrote in Hindi, "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. 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."

चुनाव के चलते दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री श्री अरविंद केजरीवाल को इस तरह टार्गेट करना एकदम गलत और असंवैधानिक है। राजनीति का स्तर इस तरह से गिराना न प्रधानमंत्री जी को शोभा देता है, न उनकी सरकार को।

अपने आलोचकों से चुनावी रणभूमि में उतरकर लड़िये, उनका डटकर मुक़ाबला करिए, उनकी नीतियों…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) March 21, 2024

"The bank accounts of the country's largest opposition party Congress have been frozen, all the political parties and their leaders are under pressure day and night from ED, CBI, IT, one Chief Minister has been put in jail, now the other Chief Minister is also in jail. Preparations are being made to take it. Such a shameful scene is being seen for the first time in the independent history of India," she wrote.

AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan said, "This arrest proves that there is a three-point agenda for the BJP. First, whoever opposes the BJP, should contest from behind bars. Second, whoever is opposing BJP, will run out of funds and will be unable to use party funds. Third, whoever is out on bail, BJP will not have any hesitation to have an alliance with them..."

#WATCH | Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Excise policy case.

Kovai Sathyan, AIADMK Spokesperson says, "This arrest proves that there is a three-point agenda for the BJP. First, whoever opposes the BJP, should… pic.twitter.com/Ap63CRISlm

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2024

NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, "What we see the visuals around the Delhi CM's house, it looks like he is under house arrest. It looks like a very systematic plan to suppress the voice of one of the leaders of the INDIA alliance. What they (BJP) are doing is to arrest all the leaders of the INDIA alliance who are speaking against the BJP so that no body is there during elections..."

#WATCH | Delhi: National Spokesperson NCP - SCP Clyde Crasto says, "What we see the visuals around the Delhi CM's house, it looks like he is under house arrest. It looks like a very systematic plan to suppress the voice of one of the leaders of the INDIA alliance. What they (BJP)… pic.twitter.com/1YEMGMBXgH

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2024

Kejriwal was summoned for the ninth time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in connection to the money laundering case.

The ED had issued its first summons to Kejriwal in October last year, the second in December, and the third summon to appear before it for questioning on January 3.

It had summoned him for the fourth time on January 13, asking him to appear before it on January 18, before issuing its fifth summons to Kejriwal, telling him to appear before the agency on February 2.

On February 19, Kejriwal skipped the ED’s sixth summons in connection with the excise policy case. The agency issued the eighth summons to Kejriwal asking him to appear before it on March 4, after he skipped the seventh summons issued on February 22. The ninth summons was scheduled for March 21.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

 

The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).