Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief of Samajwadi Party (SP), criticized the BJP following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Directorate of Enforcement in a money laundering case related to the now-defunct Delhi excise policy. Yadav stated that the action against the AAP leader would spark a ‘mass movement’ (jan-andolan).
Yadav, in a post on X, also took a dig at the BJP, suggesting that the party is apprehensive about potential defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and is “trying to keep the Opposition leaders away from the public”.
“What will those, who themselves are imprisoned in fear of defeat, accomplish by imprisoning someone else? The BJP knows that it will not come to power again. Overcome with this fear, it wants to remove Opposition leaders from the public eye by any means at the time of elections. The arrest is just an excuse. It will give birth to a new people’s revolution,” Akhilesh posted.
जो ख़ुद हैं शिकस्त के ख़ौफ़ में क़ैद
‘वो’ क्या करेंगे किसी और को क़ैदभाजपा जानती है कि वो फिर दुबारा सत्ता में नहीं आनेवाली, इसी डर से वो चुनाव के समय, विपक्ष के नेताओं को किसी भी तरह से जनता से दूर करना चाहती है, गिरफ़्तारी तो बस बहाना है।
ये गिरफ़्तारी एक नयी जन-क्रांति को…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 21, 2024
On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering case associated with the defunct Delhi excise policy, marking the second instance within 50 days of a chief minister being detained by the central agency, following Hemant Soren.
Kejriwal’s arrest immediately drew the ire of Opposition leaders, with top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleging that a “scared dictator wants to create a dead democracy,” while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin remarked that the BJP government “sinks to despicable depths” after the “unjust targeting of brother” Hemant Soren.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien said, “A large number of AAP leaders and workers had gathered at Kejriwal’s residence who shouted slogans in favour of the Chief Minister. The election process has begun. And now this! Chiefs of political parties, CMs, political leaders, election agents, workers, every opponent- being harassed & arrested like this. What will be the fate of our precious democracy? LET US ALL SAVE DEMOCRACY FROM IMPENDING DISASTER.”
A significant gathering of AAP leaders and workers assembled at Kejriwal’s residence, chanting slogans in support of the Chief Minister.
His former cabinet colleagues Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are currently in judicial custody in money laundering cases. Sisodia was arrested in connection with the money laundering case related to the excise policy. Additionally, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and BRS leader K Kavitha were also arrested in this case last week.