Social activist Anna Hazare expressed disappointment on Friday regarding the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, attributing it to Kejriwal’s own actions. Hazare, who had previously collaborated with Kejriwal and seen him advocate against liquor-related issues, voiced his dismay over Kejriwal’s involvement in formulating liquor policies. He stated, “I am very upset that Arvind Kejriwal, who used to work with me, raise his voice against liquor, is now making liquor policies. His arrest is because of his own deeds.”
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday night in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, which has already led to the judicial custody of two senior AAP leaders. Kejriwal had initially gained prominence by joining Hazare’s movement in 2011, which aimed to combat alleged corruption within the Congress government. Subsequently, Kejriwal established his own political party in 2012 and contended for the chief minister’s position.
In another development, Kejriwal withdrew his petition from the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, citing a scheduling conflict with his remand. This move followed Kejriwal’s failure to respond to nine summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate and the refusal of the Delhi High Court to grant him protection from coercive action by the probe agency.
The case revolves around purported irregularities and money laundering associated with the framing and implementation of the Delhi excise policy in 2022, which was subsequently annulled. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya criticized the Congress, a partner of the AAP in the INDIA bloc, for supporting Kejriwal, labeling Congress as the epitome of corruption. He further denounced the accusations made by Congress against central agencies, emphasizing that these agencies operate impartially. Maurya pointed out Kejriwal’s repeated failure to comply with the Enforcement Directorate’s summonses and suggested that if Kejriwal believed the ED was mistaken, he should have sought recourse through the courts.
Kejriwal’s arrest occurred shortly after the ED apprehended K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with money laundering charges related to the defunct excise policy. Previously, Manish Sisodia, then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26, and Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED on October 5. Kejriwal’s arrest also coincides with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, scheduled from April 19 to June 1, according to the announcement made by the Election Commission earlier this month.