The TMC on Friday termed the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as a calculated assault on opposition leaders and a breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the BJP, while the saffron party suggested that Bengal might witness comparable incidents akin to the arrest in the national capital.

Kejriwal, the national convener of the AAP, was arrested by the ED on Thursday night in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Hitting out at the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee dubbed the arrest as a "blatant assault on democracy." She said leaders of the opposition bloc INDIA would be meeting the Election Commission to "express strong objection" to the arrest of leaders of opposition parties ahead of the polls.

"I vehemently condemn the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the sitting elected Chief Minister of Delhi elected by the people. I have personally reached out to Smt Sunita Kejriwal to extend my unwavering support and solidarity," she posted on X.

The TMC boss said it is "outrageous that while elected opposition CMs are being deliberately targeted and arrested, individuals accused under CBI/ED investigations are allowed to continue their malpractices with impunity, especially after aligning with the BJP." Banerjee said a delegation of the opposition bloc INDIA will meet the Election Commission to lodge their complaint over the targeting of opposition leaders during the period when MCC is in place.

"This is a blatant assault on democracy. Today, our INDIA alliance will meet the EC to express our strong objection to the deliberate targeting and arrests of opposition leaders, particularly during the MCC period. To this end, I have designated @derekobrienmp and @MdNadimulHaque6 to represent @AITCofficial in this crucial meeting with the Election Commission," she said.

Echoing similar sentiments, senior TMC leader Santanu Sen said the EC should immediately take note of the violation of the MCC by the BJP by using the CBI and ED.

"The BJP is using threats and intimidation to win the elections sensing imminent defeat. To achieve their goal, the BJP is using the CBI and the ED to target the opposition leaders. This is a blatant violation of MCC. The EC has to stop this vindictive politics during the elections," he said.

State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, however, said the party has zero tolerance towards corruption and that the state could also witness a scene similar to the national capital referring to the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

"Last month, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested. Now, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested. It only shows that being a chief minister doesn't grant you any sort of impunity if you are involved in corruption. Similar allegations of corruption have emerged in West Bengal in recent years. So, the state could also witness similar scenes like New Delhi," Majumdar said.

State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, "ED and CBI investigating corruption cases in no way violate the MCC." "The TMC is corrupt just like the AAP and that is why they too are apprehending similar arrests of their top leaders. But the ED and CBI are investigating cases in Bengal mostly under the instructions of the court. So in no way it violates the MCC," he said.

The TMC alleged that the BJP was using central agencies to "terrorise" the opposition.

"Sensing defeat, the BJP is now desperate to hold onto power either by hook or crook. The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal hints at it. Second, in Bengal too, the BJP is using central agencies to pursue political vendetta," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, meanwhile, claimed that despite allegations of corruption against the TMC government, West Bengal will never witness similar scenes as both the BJP and the TMC have a "tacit understanding".

"It is due to this tacit understanding that the TMC walked out of the opposition bloc INDIA in West Bengal and decided to contest alone," he alleged.

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