The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a counter-protest in Delhi on Tuesday, calling for the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal. Led by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, the party marched from Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to Delhi Secretariat via ITO, with several senior leaders in attendance.
According to Sachdeva, “The CM of Delhi is corrupt and dishonest and he has looted the people of Delhi. We are going to the Secretariat to demand his resignation… The government is not running from the jail. Just like AAP’s character, the orders are also fake… Arvind Kejriwal has to resign.”
Another BJP leader stated, “Arvind Kejriwal is in jail and he thinks he will run the government from jail. Previously, many chief ministers were arrested and they also believe the same… Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa had to tender their resignations after their arrests.”
The protest comes after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) protestors were detained outside Patel Chowk metro station while protesting against Kejriwal’s arrest. Among those detained was Punjab Minister and AAP leader Harjot Singh Bains.
Reacting to the AAP protest, AAP leader Reena Gupta said, “Our demand is that Arvind Kejriwal should be released immediately. His arrest is illegal. PM Modi is afraid and he wants Arvind Kejriwal to not campaign in the upcoming elections. To keep Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning, he has been arrested…”
Earlier, security was increased at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence by the Delhi police following a call from AAP for a ‘gherao’ protest in response to Kejriwal’s arrest. The police announced that no permission had been granted for protests, Section 144 of the CrPC had been imposed, and the area should be cleared within five minutes.
