According to party sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has extended his support to Arvind Kejriwal’s family and assured them of his and the party’s backing following the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister on Thursday.
The source added that Rahul Gandhi intends to meet either Kejriwal or his family on Friday to provide additional legal aid.
On Thursday, a team from the Enforcement Directorate arrived at Kejriwal’s residence to question him regarding the liquor policy case. Amidst a search operation conducted at his residence, Kejriwal was arrested under dramatic circumstances, as the AAP convener did not secure interim protection from arrest in the liquor policy case from the Delhi High Court. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate transported him to the agency’s headquarters. Additionally, a medical team also arrived at the ED office.
AAP workers and leaders rallied in support of Kejriwal after his arrest, while leaders of the INDIA bloc also backed the AAP leader. BJP leaders expressed support for the ED’s actions against the Delhi Chief Minister, emphasizing the importance of “truth had to prevail”.
Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi on Thursday urged the BJP to cease political maneuvers involving the Enforcement Directorate, citing the arrests of two opposition chief ministers and the freezing of a bank account of the Congress party.
Accusing the BJP of seeking electoral victory through undemocratic methods, she called on them to participate in fair political competition rather than employing the ED as a tool for their political agenda.
“Today, the BJP is murdering democracy. They have arrested two opposition chief ministers (One chief minister Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was put in jail and now another Kejriwal) and frozen a party’s bank account. Is this how the BJP wants to win the election? I want to tell the BJP that if you want to fight, then come forward and fight in the political arena, in the election field. Stop doing politics hiding behind the ED, stop using the ED as your weapon,” she said.
Previously, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi announced that they had petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate Kejriwal’s arrest and had requested an expedited hearing.
“We have moved the Supreme Court to quash the arrest of Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal by ED. We have asked for an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court tonight itself,” Atishi said in a post on X.