Kejriwal’s arrest unleashes AAP fury, Mann calls it ‘murder of democracy’

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, criticising their “dictatorial” behaviour after the arrest of AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED)

New Delhi/Chandigarh : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, criticising their “dictatorial” behaviour after the arrest of AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, criticising their “dictatorial” behaviour after the arrest of AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) .

Mann said that Delhi’s chief minister has been arrested by the ED without filing any chargesheet or any evidence, calling it murder of democracy. “This situation prevailing in the country has been going on for many years. The agencies are being used as a weapon. If any leader of the opposition speaks against the atrocities of the BJP, then ED, CBI and income tax department come to his house. The current situation of the country is like an undeclared emergency,” he alleged at a press conference in Delhi, after meeting Kejriwal’s family.

The CM said that non-BJP governments are harassed through the governor and he was also a victim of the same. “The chief minister of Kerala just came to Jantar Mantar. Tamil Nadu CM is fed up with his governor. His governor does not even read his speech in the assembly. Mamata didi is being harassed every day and Hemant Soren has been arrested. We also went to the Supreme Court for our sessions as Punjab governor was not allowing our budget session to take place,” he said before referring to funds totalling ₹8,000 crore pending with the Centre.

Mann said they (BJP) want that no opposition leader should be able to campaign in these elections and want to snatch power once again. “They are walking on the path of dictatorship. Arvind Kejriwal is a patriotic person, if he just wanted to earn money, he would have, he was an IRS officer and his wife is also an IRS commissioner. I am just coming back after meeting his family and his children have their exams, but they are not even letting them go out,” he claimed.

He said the AAP is standing with Kejriwal like a rock. “You can arrest Arvind Kejriwal but cannot suppress his ideology. Arvind Kejriwal is not just one person but a thought, how are you going to stop that?” he said.