Amidst the apprehension ensuing the apprehension of the Delhi Chief Administrator, Arvind Kejriwal, the slated session of the Delhi Assembly for Friday has been annulled. The assembly is now slated to convene at 11 am on March 27. Kejriwal, the AAP National Convener, found himself in custody on Thursday evening due to an alleged involvement in a money laundering affair connected to a purported liquor policy scandal.
“The esteemed members are hereby apprised that the esteemed Speaker has mandated the suspension of the session initially scheduled for today, specifically the 22nd of March 2024,” conveyed the Deputy Secretary. “Additionally, pursuant to sub-rule (1) of Rule-17 (Adjournment of the House and procedure for reconvening) of the Regulations of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi,” elucidated the Deputy Secretary, “the esteemed Speaker has decreed that the subsequent session of the House is to be convened on the 27th of March 2024 at 11 am.”
Kejriwal is set to appear before a specialized tribunal today. A contingent from the Enforcement Directorate visited Kejriwal’s residence on Thursday for an interrogation pertaining to the liquor policy matter. In the course of a domicile search, Kejriwal was apprehended amidst theatrical circumstances, as the AAP convener failed to secure provisional immunity from arrest in the liquor policy case from the Delhi High Court.
Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party staged a nationwide demonstration. DMK MP Dayanidhi Maaran and Tamil Nadu Minister Sekar Babu staged a protest at Chennai Central against the apprehension of Arvind Kejriwal by officials from the Enforcement Directorate. Previously, AAP officials asserted that it was a desperate maneuver by the BJP to stifle opposition discourse ahead of the elections.
“They exhibited no inquiries for the Delhi CM. Given the proximity of the elections, the BJP is perturbed, it is apprehensive, and a robust voice of dissent, one that would scrutinize the Prime Minister, merely to quash that voice, the Chief Administrator of Delhi has been apprehended,” expounded AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj. Describing the apprehension of the Delhi Chief Administrator as the BJP’s “political machination,” Aam Aadmi Party luminary Atishi remarked that it marks the first instance of a sitting CM being apprehended by the Central authority.
“For the first time in the annals of this nation, a sitting CM has been apprehended by the central authority. Even the Chief Administrator of Jharkhand resigned before his apprehension. In the history of this nation, it is unprecedented that subsequent to the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the national convener of a national party has been apprehended. Arvind Kejriwal’s apprehension is the BJP’s political scheming,” Atishi declared during a press briefing.
AAP adherents and leaders rallied behind Kejriwal post his apprehension, while proponents of the INDIA bloc also lent their support to the AAP luminary. BJP figures extended their backing to the ED’s maneuvers against the Delhi Chief Administrator, stressing that “veracity had to triumph.” Nevertheless, the BJP censured the AAP, alleging that the Delhi Chief Administrator was facing repercussions for purportedly engaging in malfeasance.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla remarked, “AAP officials claim that Arvind Kejriwal is not merely a human, but an ideology… The ideology is that he will be venal and when judicial action is taken, he will decry it as oppression… And play the martyr… I would like to inquire, is the judiciary obliterating democracy?… The SC rebuffed Manish Sisodia’s bail plea. The SC asserted that there exists a pecuniary trail of Rs. 338 crore. Sanjay Singh’s bail plea was dismissed by the HC. If your confederates have been incarcerated for over a year now, is it the BJP or the Judiciary responsible?.. Your BFF Congress found you embroiled in the Liquor scandal…”
The INDIA bloc parties have voiced their support for Kejriwal and rebuked the BJP for wielding the ED as a tool against the opposition. Two senior AAP figures, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, find themselves in judicial confinement in connection to the excise policy matter. Sisodia, erstwhile Delhi Deputy Chief Administrator, was apprehended by the CBI on February 26 following numerous rounds of interrogation. On October 5, the ED apprehended Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha representative.