New Delhi: The politburo of the CPI(M) on Friday condemned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said the BJP was in panic mode over the people’s growing disenchantment with the Modi government.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
“The polit bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and National Convenor of AAP Arvind Kejriwal by the ED,” the party said in a statement.
“Clearly, the Modi government and the BJP are in a panic over the growing disenchantment of the people with the Modi government’s performance, disclosures of its own corrupt practices and exposures of electoral bond details. Hence, they are vindictively targeting opposition leaders (sic),” the CPI(M) said.
The CPI(M) said Kejriwal is the second chief minister from the INDIA bloc to be arrested. Earlier, former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren too was arrested by the ED on allegations of money laundering. He had, however, stepped down before the arrest.
“All opposition leaders who stand committed to defeating the BJP in the forthcoming elections in order to safeguard the Indian Constitution and democracy are being targeted, while those who defect and join the BJP are protected, rewarded and patronised,” the party said.
“The polit bureau of the CPI(M) calls upon all its units to join the united protest actions in Delhi and across the country,” it added.
CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat, meanwhile, said the ED is being used by the ruling party to target and weaken the opposition.
“We very very strongly condemn the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. It is a lawless act, completely motivated by politics. The ruling party is very clearly using the ED as an instrument to hound the opposition, to weaken the opposition by arresting its leaders, and by harassing opposition leaders,” Karat told PTI videos.
“Elections have been announced and you’re going to arrest chief ministers. It is absolutely unacceptable. Our party is also protesting against it. We join the protest of the AAP, and demand there should be an immediate reversal of the arrest,” she said.
