Arvind Kejriwal Arrested: With the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the ED in the money laundering case related to Delhi’s excise policy, not only the Aam Aadmi Party, but the entire opposition is looking aggressive against the central government.
The ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (21 March) night after questioning him at his residence. CM Kejriwal’s arrest has come at a time when the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections has been announced and the party is already facing the arrest of some of its senior leaders. This is being considered a very delicate time for the Aam Aadmi Party, because Arvind Kejriwal is called the main leader and even Chanakya of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Many opposition leaders have reacted to Kejriwal’s arrest and have targeted BJP by linking it to the Lok Sabha elections. What will be the impact of Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest on the Lok Sabha elections? Let’s understand.
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What impact will Kejriwal’s arrest have on the Lok Sabha elections?
The strategy of Aam Aadmi Party is to expand across the country and it has formed an alliance with Congress in Delhi, Haryana and Gujarat in the Lok Sabha elections 2024. At the same time, it has fielded candidates on all Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.
If we look at the 543 Lok Sabha seats, Aam Aadmi Party is contesting on 4 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, 1 in Haryana, 2 in Gujarat and 13 in Punjab. It does not seem that the victory or defeat of Aam Aadmi Party on a total of 20 seats will have any impact on the Lok Sabha elections, but even with fewer seats, an atmosphere (mood) can be created in its favour.
Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest just before the Lok Sabha elections is being considered as a big setback for the Aam Aadmi Party on a personal level, but its impact on the Lok Sabha elections can be such that it can once again give the opposition a reason to unite with more strength. The way many opposition leaders, including Congress, gave aggressive reactions against the BJP and the central government on Kejriwal’s arrest, a picture of this was also visible.
India will give a befitting reply- Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that India Alliance will give a befitting reply. Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi posted on ‘X’, “A scared dictator wants to create a dead democracy.”
He claimed, “Capturing all the institutions including the media, breaking up parties, extorting money from companies, freezing the account of the main opposition party was not enough for the ‘demonic power’, but now arresting elected chief ministers has also become a common thing.” He said that the ‘India’ alliance will give a befitting reply to this.
Sharad Pawar said- ‘India’ alliance is united
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar also said that the opposition alliance is united against this action on Kejriwal. He posted on the social media platform ‘X’, “The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shows how low the BJP can stoop for power. ‘India’ alliance is united against this unconstitutional action against Arvind Kejriwal.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin also condemned Kejriwal’s arrest and called it part of the opposition’s ‘continuous harassment’.
This action is to stop them from campaigning for the elections- Amit Palekar
Aam Aadmi Party Goa unit president Amit Palekar said that this action is to stop Kejriwal from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections . He said that we will approach the Supreme Court against this.
TMC expressed surprise over the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal
The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal also condemned Kejriwal’s arrest and wondered what would happen to democracy if opposition leaders and elected chief ministers were arrested before elections. The party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien, posted on Instagram wondering who would stand with the people against the BJP’s oppressive politics in the future if the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India fail to act now.
AAP said Kejriwal will run the government from jail
Aam Aadmi Party has said that even if Arvind Kejriwal has to go to jail, he will run the government of Delhi from there. There is no such provision in the law which prevents a CM from running the government from jail. In such a situation, there is a possibility of AAP getting public sympathy but there will be more possibility for the party or India alliance when Kejriwal will be seen in the election field.