Arvind Kejriwal being taken to the Enforcement Directorate office in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, in New Delhi on March 21, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate has shown, more than the arrest of any other leader, the extreme pressure and attack on the Opposition by the Narendra Modi government. He is the first-ever sitting Chief Minister to be arrested. The ED and other agencies have been haunting him for months and it was clear that he would be arrested. Some of his senior associates were arrested in the last few months and are in jail. The charges against them, including Kejriwal, are related to what has been described as a liquor policy scam. The ED has alleged that there was a criminal nexus between the AAP’s political leadership and some businessmen, and bribes were paid to the AAP leadership. The agency claims Kejriwal is the kingpin of the scam.
The PMLA court in Delhi has remanded Kejriwal to ED custody until March 28 and it is clear that it will now be a long haul for him in jail. There are political and governmental implications for Kejriwal’s arrest and incarceration for a long time. The AAP is without its top leadership and there will be questions about its survival. It was Kejriwal who had held the party together, and his absence may put it under pressure. The BJP has split or cannibalised such parties in other parts of the country. The AAP has had a meteoric rise over the last decade and is now a national party with governments in Delhi and Punjab, and presence in many other states. It has presented a robust challenge to the BJP and is a part of the I.N.D.I.A grouping. The arrest of Kejriwal is a blow to the Opposition alliance which is even otherwise struggling to stand on its feet and challenge the BJP.
The Opposition has alleged that the arrest is intended to weaken the alliance and disrupt its election campaign. I.N.D.I.A leaders have met the Election Commission to bring it to its notice. The timing of the arrest would support the contention. They have also contended that the arrest is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The government has used various methods to bend or break the Opposition parties which are in power or out of it. There is a strange and unprecedented situation now when all top leaders of the country’s third-largest party have been sent to jail before the elections and are unable to campaign. The AAP has said that Kejriwal will continue to be Chief Minister and function from jail. This can give an opportunity for the BJP to dismiss the government and impose President’s rule in Delhi through the Lt-Governor. The government’s move through the ED is an act of vindictive politics, part of a bid for an Opposition-mukt election.