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Kejriwal says emergency-like situation in Delhi as MLA held
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of unleashing an “emergency” in Delhi, escalating his war on the
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of unleashing an “emergency” in Delhi, escalating his war on the Centre after the dramatic arrest of an AAP legislator in the midst of a press conference.
Police said Dinesh Mohaniya, the MLA from Sangam Vihar, was arrested for alleged assault on a group of women in Neb Sarai, a locality in his constituency.
“Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorising, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected… What msg does Modi want to give to everyone (sic)?” Kejriwal tweeted after police in plainclothes took away Mohaniya halfway through a press briefing at his office in South Delhi’s Khanpur area around noon.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the manner in which the MLA was picked up made him look like a “dreaded terrorist”.
“Modiji has lost his mind,” Sisodia added.
An AAP spokesperson also termed the arrest a result of an undeclared emergency, a reference to a 21-month period between 1975-77 when the then Congress government had cited “internal disturbance” to curb fundamental rights and arrest opposition leaders, keeping them in jail without trial. Saturday was the 41st anniversary of the Emergency.
The BJP hit out at Kejriwal for trying to protect Mohaniya with the “emergency-like” shield and said the “circus of jokers” won’t go on for long.
“This won’t go for long as the people of Delhi have now recognised the circus and Kejriwal ji will get its answer in the next election,” Union minister Mahesh Sharma told ANI.
The arrest gave Kejriwal fresh ammunition to attack the BJP-led central government which he accuses of using Delhi police to target his ministers and officials.
Mohaniya is the eighth AAP MLA to be arrested by Delhi police since the party came to power for the second time in Delhi in February last year.
Kejriwal has been demanding control over Delhi police, which reports to the home ministry.
A home ministry official refused to comment on the developments.
Police said that Mohaniya has two cases of assaulting women and senior citizen, registered against him.
Joint Commissioner of Police (South East) RP Upadhyay said the MLA was arrested on several charges including intimidation, sexual harassment and voyeurism.
Mohaniya was produced at the Saket court which sent him to jail till Monday.
AAP leaders called it an attempt to divert attention from the murder of a civic body official in which AAP had alleged involvement of BJP leaders.
“In the murder of NDMC official, role of three persons - BJP MP Maheish Girri, BJP leader Karan Singh Tanwar and L-G Naje eb Jung, is doubtful. The B JP-led central government is trying to save them by undeclared emergency in Delhi,” said a party spokesperson.
MM Khan, a legal adviser in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), was shot dead in Jamia Nagar on May 16, a day before he was slated to pass the final order on a hotel’s operation from a property leased out by the civic body.