Political parties condemn Arvind Kejriwal arrest, but not without the odd snipe

Delhi's former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Telangana MLC K Kavitha have also been arrested in connection with the case.

BySouth First Desk

Published Mar 22, 2024 | 6:00 AM ⚊UpdatedMar 22, 2024 | 6:00 AM

File photo of Arvind Kejriwal.

File photo of Arvind Kejriwal. (Supplied)

Within hours of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, several political parties — including those from South India — condemned the move.

However, there was also the odd case of one party taking a snipe at the other using Kejriwal’s arrest as a diving board.

Kejriwal was arrested in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. He had skipped the agency’s summonses nine times.

Delhi’s former deputy chief minister and Kejriwal’s AAP colleague Manish Sisodia has already been arrested in connection with the case.

Telangana MLC K Kavitha was arrested in this case earlier this month. The ED has said the daughter of BRS chief and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao played a pivotal role in the so-called “South Group” as part of the scam.

Related: As Kavitha moves SC against arrest, ED says she conspired with Kejriwal, Sisodia

Congress reactions

The Congress and its leaders were quick to react to the ED arresting Kejriwal. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “A frightened dictatorship wants to create a dead democracy.”

He also touched upon how the bank accounts of the chief Opposition party at the Centre — the Congress, in this case — were frozen.

Current AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge also invoked the issue. He added: “The arrogant BJP, which makes false claims of victory every day, is trying to weaken the Opposition by all means and illegal ways before the elections.”

He also said: “If there was real confidence of victory, the accounts of the main Opposition party — the Congress — would not have been frozen by misusing the constitutional institutions. Leaders from the Opposition parties would not have been targeted right before the elections.”

Rahul’s sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said the arrest was “completely wrong and unconstitutional”.

She added: “Fight your critics in the electoral battle, confront them boldly, and of course attack their policies and working style. This is democracy.”

Related: ED calls Kavitha ‘key conspirator’ in liquor policy case 

BRS leaders weigh in

The BRS, which had been in power in Telangana since the state’s creation in 2014 before losing last year’s Assembly election to the Congress,  also came out in support of the AAP.

It said on its official X handle, while sharing a screenshot of an old Kejriwal tweet: “Dictator Modi can’t silence the voice of opposition forever by misusing ED. [sic]”

BRS working president and Kavitha’s brother KT Rama Rao also weighed in, saying: “The ED and the CBI have become the chief instruments of repression in the hands of BJP. Political opponents are targeted on unsubstantiated grounds & political vendetta is their sole purpose [sic]”

BRS spokesperson Krishank Manne, however, chose a different line of attack and an entirely different target.

He pointed out that the Congress that had come out in support of the AAP was the same party that called for Kavitha’s arrest in the same Delhi liquor policy case.

Explained: BRS MLC K Kavitha and ‘South Group’ in the Delhi liquor policy case

Other leaders, parties react

Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief MMK Stalin came down heavily on the BJP after the ED arrested Kejriwal.

Stalin called the saffron party “fascist”, and said it had sunk to “despicable depths” by getting the Delhi chief minister arrested.

The CPI(M), which leads the ruling LDF coalition in Kerala, also showed solidarity with Kejriwal.

Prominent CPI(M) leader also took to X to condemn the ED action, saying: “These arrests will only cement people’s desire to defeat BJP, defend democracy and Indian Constitution. [sic]”

CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the arrest was “outright vicious and part of a callous plot to silence all opposition voices just ahead of the general elections [sic]”.

He added: “This exposes the cowardice of those who fear democratic process and calls for collective action to resist abuse of power. [sic]”

Kerala Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan also weighed in, calling the arrest “politically motivated” and a “challenge to democracy”.

CPI general secretary D Raja reacted along the lines of Yechury, except he mentioned the “second sitting CM” from the CPI(M) leader’s post by name.

Raja said: “The arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and the arrest of then Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren show how jittery the BJP is. This harassment is only intended to intimidate the opposition. [sic]”

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