Delhi Speaker's big claim on Kejriwal's future as CM amid ED questioning

Security was beefed up around Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines Thursday evening with the deployment of RAF and CRPF units.

Updated on: Mar 21, 2024, 20:38:45 IST

By HT News Desk

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Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal on Thursday raised alarm over the heavy deployment of forces outside chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence, suggesting that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) might be preparing to arrest the AAP supremo.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal speaks in the Assembly. (PTI / File)

"The scale of force being deployed at the CM's residence shows that ED has come to arrest the Chief Minister," Goyal told reporters.

"It may be a small setback, but the party will emerge stronger out of this episode," Goyal affirmed.

The Speaker also informed that all MLAs have unanimously decided that Kejriwal will not resign as chief minister in the event of an arrest.

“The party and all MLAs have decided that CM Kejriwal will not resign after the arrest. The government will be run from the jail.” Goyal added.

Follow LIVE updates on ED questioning of Arvind Kejriwal

An ED team reached Kejriwal's residence on Thursday evening shortly after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action in a money laundering case linked with the now-scrapped excise policy.

The crowd slowly started building up outside Kejriwal's house with AAP MLAs Atishi, Sanjeev Jha, Prahlad Singh Sawhney, Rohit Mehraulia, Durgesh Pathak, and Kuldeep Kumar present there.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha echoed Goyal's remarks saying 'sarkar jail se chalegi' (The government will be run from the jail) in the event of Kejriwal's arrest.

“We are waiting for the next step of the BJP govt and what ED does today. People have given the mandate to Arvind Kejriwal to run the govt and he will continue to do so,” Jha said.

Arvind Kejriwal meanwhile rushed to the Supreme Court seeking protection from any coercive action by the central probe agency in the money laundering case.

The high court has listed Kejriwal's application seeking protection from coercive action for further consideration on April 22, when his main petition challenging the Enforcement Directorate's summons has been fixed for hearing.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief had earlier skipped multiple summonses of the agency in the case.

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HT News Desk
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