GUWAHATI, March 22: The Assam unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Raijor Dal staged demonstrations in various parts of the state in protest against the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, with opposition parties condemning the Enforcement Directorate’s action against the AAP leader.
Kejriwal was arrested on Thursday night by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
In Guwahati, AAP members took out a procession from the party’s state headquarters, located about two km from the state secretariat, but were stopped by security forces after marching for about half-a-kilometre.
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Unable to proceed further, the protestors blocked traffic for some time, raising slogans against the Narendra Modi-led central government.
Congress’ Guwahati Lok Sabha seat candidate Mira Borthakur Goswami also joined the protesters.
A similar protest was staged by AAP members in Dibrugarh, which was participated by state party president Bhabesh Choudhury and the party’s Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat candidate Manoj Dhanowar.
“Narendra Modi is afraid of Kejriwal ji’s popularity and wants to keep him confined in jail. But Kejriwal is not an individual, he stands for an ideology,” Choudhury said.
Opposition Raijor Dal members also staged a separate protest in front of their city office.
“This move is clearly aimed at diverting attention from the pressing issues confronting the BJP-led NDA government, especially the truth about the electoral bonds. We will not be silenced and people will give a befitting reply,” party leader Bhasco De Saikia said.
The party also staged protests in Sivasagar and Lakhimpur.
Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said the government was trying to crush the opposition.
“Crushing the opposition is the second nature of this government. Two lows on the same day – freezing the accounts of @INCIndia and arresting a sitting CM. Independent agencies are clearly working at the behest of political bosses,” Gogoi posted on X.
He asserted that the government was resorting to extreme measures to silence dissenting voices, stating, “The world’s largest democracy is headed to become a full-fledged autocracy. People watch, history remembers, truth prevails.”
State Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah also criticised Kejriwal’s arrest and said “INDIA will give a befitting reply”.
“A frightened dictator wants to create a dead democracy,” he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
“While capturing all the institutions including the media, breaking up parties, extorting money from companies, freezing the account of the main opposition party were not enough for the ‘devilish power’, now the arrest of the elected chief minister has also become a common thing,” Borah wrote.
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi termed the ED raid and arrest of the Delhi CM as an attack on democracy.
“The ED raid and arrest of Arvind Kejriwal is an attack on democracy and abuse of power. Targeting political opponents undermines the principles of justice and fairness. This is not how a healthy democracy operates,” Gogoi wrote on X.
Condemning the arrest of Kejriwal, state Trinamool Congress chief Ripun Bora said there is undeclared emergency in the country.
“He is a major opposition party leader and an elected chief minister, AAP has governments in 2 states. How can the elections be fair if BJP keeps him in jail?” he questioned through a post on the micro-blogging site.
Bora also questioned the arrest when the model code of conduct is in place and added, “Many opposition leaders are in jail, if it is so then who will raise the voice of the common people against the atrocities of BJP?” (PTI)
