Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday reacted to Aam Aadmi Party claims that arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will run the government from jail and said that this is an “insult” to the people of Delhi and “law and democracy.”
“They are saying that Arvind Kejriwal will run the government from the jail. This is an insult to the people of Delhi, law and democracy… It is unfortunate that a political party that spoke about the corruption of the Congress, and demanded the arrest of Sonia Gandhi, has refused to appear before the ED even after 9 summons,” Thakur told reporters.
“Why did he have to remain away from the investigation… All of them are exposed in this liquor scam,” he added.
BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri asked the AAP government that if Delhi’s new excise policy was great, then why was it taken down.
“I have always told Arvind Kejriwal that this excise policy is not good… This policy caused a loss of Rs. 3000 crores. In the end, we protested against the AAP government. If his new excise policy was great, then why did the CM take it down!” Bidhuri said.
Earlier, Delhi Minister Atishi said that Kejriwal “is, was, and remain the Delhi Chief Minister”.
“We have said earlier that if needed, Kejriwal will run the government from jail. He can run the government as no rule can prevent him from doing that. He has not been convicted and so he will remain as the Delhi Chief Minister,” Atishi said.
Addressing a press conference, AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the Cental government has not allowed anyone to meet Arvind Kejriwal’s family since yesterday.
“Arrests have been done in politics in the past. However, the minimum human values, that even the Britishers used to consider, are not being followed. The Cental government is not allowing anyone to meet Arvind Kejriwal’s family since yesterday,” Bharadwaj said.
BJP National Spokesperson Sambit Patra said that today the Delhi Chief Minister’s pride has been broken.
“There have been 9 summons since October 23. Arvind Kejriwal did not remain present in any of them. He has a sense of entitlement and he keeps saying that the summons is illegal and he will not remain present. He keeps saying that he is the CM and how can he be summoned. Today, his pride has been broken. The law of this country says that if you have broken a law and you are summoned, then you have to respect the summons and remain present,” Patra said.
Kejriwal will be produced before a special court today.
A team from the Enforcement Directorate reached Kejriwal’s residence on Thursday to interrogate him regarding the liquor policy case. During a search operation conducted at his residence, Kejriwal was arrested amidst dramatic circumstances, as the AAP convener failed to obtain interim protection from arrest in the liquor policy case from the Delhi High Court.
Workers of the Aam Aadmi Party are holding a nationwide protest. The INDIA bloc parties have also come out in support of Kejriwal and criticised the BJP for using ED as a weapon against the opposition. DMK MP Dayanidhi Maaran and Tamil Nadu Minister Sekar Babu protested in Chennai Central against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by Enforcement Directorate officials.