Kolkata (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today the INDIA bloc alliance will be meeting the Election Commission to express their "strong objection to the deliberate targeting" and "arrest" of opposing leaders at a time when the Model Code of Conduct has been enforced after the announcement of the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Expressing solidarity with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise case on Thursday night, CM Mamata said that she personally reached out to Sunita Kejriwal to extend her "unwavering support".
In a post on X, the ruling Trinamool Congress Chief said, "I vehemently condemn the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the sitting elected Chief Minister of Delhi elected by the people. I have personally reached out to Smt Sunita Kejriwal to extend my unwavering support and solidarity."
"It's outrageous that while elected opposition CMs are being deliberately targeted and arrested while individuals accused under CBI/ED investigations are allowed to continue their malpractices with impunity, especially after aligning with the BJP. This is a blatant assault on democracy," CM Mamata added in her post.
CM Mamata said that Rajya Sabha MP's Derek O'Brien and Mohd Nadimul Haque will represent the TMC in the meeting with the poll panel. "Today, our INDIA alliance will meet the EC to express our strong objection to the deliberate targeting and arrests of opposition leaders, particularly during the MCC period. To this end, I have designated @derekobrienmp and @MdNadimulHaque6 to represent @AITCofficial in this crucial meeting with the Election Commission," she said.
The opposition bloc has come out in support of Arvind Kejriwal after his arrest. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in a post on X in Hindi, wrote, "You will arrest Arvind Kejriwal but how will you arrest his thinking. Arvind Kejriwal is not a person but an idea and we stand with our leader like a rock. Inquilab Zindabad!"
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor condemned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister, saying, "I call upon the Supreme Court to take Suo Motu cognizance on what has happened... What has happened is violative of the spirit of democracy." Arvind Kejriwal's arrest came days after the ED arrested Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS), the leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.
Kejriwal's arrest also comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held from April 19 to June 1, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission earlier in the month.
