Sharad Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, on Friday condemned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate, saying the BJP will have to pay the price for the “misuse of power”.
Speaking to reporters at Baramati in Maharashtra’s Pune district, Pawar said he is confident people will show their collective power in the elections the way they had demonstrated during Emergency.
Referring to Kejriwal’s arrest, Pawar (83) said federal agencies are being misused to suppress the voice of the Opposition.
The ED on Thursday arrested Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party, in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, triggering criticism from opposition INDIA bloc leaders.
“Congress’ bank accounts have been frozen. As the accounts are frozen, their financial management for an election campaign has been hit. It shows that there is an attempt to stop the grand old party from using its resources for the elections. Such an extreme action was never taken in the past,” said the NCP (SP) chief.
He said central agencies like ED are being used to take action against some key leaders from states.
“They arrested Hemant Soren (ex-CM of Jharkhand), who belongs to the tribal class. Now, Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested in a case related to (Delhi) liquor policy. We were anticipating some action against him,” said the veteran politician.
The liquor policy was decided by the state cabinet of the Delhi government as it is their right to chalk out policies for the state, Pawar said.
He said it is wrong to arrest a chief minister and his colleagues over a policy. “Today BJP has gone to such an extent where a chief minister has been arrested by misuse of power,” Pawar said.
Though it is expected that the elections should happen in a free and fair environment, there is a sense of worry now, he rued.
“I condemn the action against Kejriwal as a constituent of INDIA bloc. We will stand strong behind Kejriwal,” he said.
Asked whether the action against the AAP leader will backfire on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, Pawar said, “Hundred per cent. They will have to pay the price. He became CM three times. He enjoys a lot of public support.” The ED arrested Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money laundering case on Thursday night.
The arrest, the first of a sitting chief minister, came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the agency.
The 55-year-old leader’s arrest, amid campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, drew angry reactions from AAP. The party said Kejriwal “will continue as the chief minister of Delhi. If need be, he will run the government from jail”.
Various constituents of the INDIA bloc condemned Kejriwal's arrest and claimed that the BJP is scared of the outcome of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and acting out of panic to create problems for the opposition.
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