HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, March 27: All India Congress Committee (AICC) national spokesperson and media coordinatior for Northeast, Mathew Antony has accused the BJP government at the Centre of arresting and torturing the opposition leaders for fear of losing power after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Antony said that after former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was forced to resign from his post with ED arrest, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had been arrested.
He said it was the Congress that first raised the corruption allegation against Kejriwal in 2022.
“We still stand by that allegation and want a fair investigation.” he said.
Antony, however, said the Congress is against Kejriwal’s arrest just after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections and the AAP’s decision to join the INDIA bloc.
Pointing out that former Delhi deputy chief minister Monish Sisodia was arrested on February 26, 2023, he asked why the ED or CBI did not arrest Kejriwal within months of Sisodia’s arrest if the government had information on corruption charges against him.
“After the AAP joined the INDIA bloc, the BJP is sure about its imminent defeat in Delhi as well as Punjab. Now they want to torture Kejriwal,” he said.
“We protest against the arrest just before the elections. Standing by our allegation on corruption and against failed investigation, we still protest against Kejriwal’s arrest because it is oppressing the opposition,” Antony said.
The Congress leader also leveled several ‘personal corruption’ charges against PM Modi, accusing him of abusing and utilising the entire system of power and extorting money to suppress democracy and oppress his opponents to stay in power.
He alleged that Modi was personally involved in corruption such as electoral bonds, PM Care Fund etc.
Raising the issues of price rise and Manipur, Antony appealed to the people of Nagaland whether they wanted the same government at the Centre who wanted the tribal people to fight with each other.
