Opposition Parties Unite: Rally Planned Against BJP’s Alleged Misuse of Central Agencies Following Arvind Kejriwal’s Arrest
Opposition parties in INDIA bloc have planned a rally in Delhi on March 31 to protest the alleged misuse of central agencies by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre.
This comes days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by Enforcement Directorate on March 21 Delhi Liquor Policy case. Kejriwal is under ED remand until March 28.
On March 22, a delegation of leaders from the Opposition bloc met with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election officials to address concerns regarding the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
The delegation comprised leaders from the Congress, the TMC, the CPM, the Aam Aadmi Party, DMK, NCP, SP and Samajwadi Party. These parties are part of opposition INDIA bloc.
The delegation alleged that Kejriwal’s arrest was the “blatant and audacious misuse” of Central agencies by the Union government, according to reports. The delegation added that it had resulted in the “erosion of the level playing field” ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
The leaders requested the election commission to establish a mechanism ensuring that any raids, investigations, or arrests conducted during the election campaign are first approved by the commission itself or a committee appointed by it.
Kejriwal, 55, was arrested weeks before the Lok Sabha elections 2024. His Aam Aadmi Party is contesting elections as part of the INDIA bloc, an amalgamation of opposition parties, putting up a united fight against the BJP in the upcoming general elections.
The arrest triggered a unanimous condemnation from the leaders of the Opposition, most of them accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) of vindictive misuse of central agencies.
By his arrest, Kejriwal joined the league of Opposition leaders arrested by central agencies in the recent past. Two of his former ministers – Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain – and a Rajya Sabha member from his party, Sanjay Singh, are also in jail.
In fact, Kejriwal is the second opposition chief minister to be arrested by the ED in the last two months. Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested by the agency on January 31 in a different case. On March 15, K Kavitha, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was also arrested by the ED over her alleged money laundering role in the same case.
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