Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): In a swift and fiery response to the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Excise Policy case, former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, expressed their vehement condemnation of the move, labeling it a 'Blot on Democracy' and a 'cowardly act of the ruling government.'
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Omar Abdullah, who is also the Vice President of the National Conference, minced no words as he termed the arrest as "Aisi Taisi Democracy."
Expressing astonishment at the ruling dispensation's nervousness despite their resounding victory in the elections, Omar lambasted the arrest as a “direct assault on democracy”.
"Having a sitting opposition CM arrested by a pliable central agency within days of the general elections being announced is a blot on democracy," he stated. Omar declared solidarity with Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) amidst what he termed as a “perilous erosion of democratic norms”.
Mehbooba Mufti, the President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), echoed Omar's sentiments, decrying the arrest as "arbitrary" and indicative of "growing authoritarianism."
Mehbooba, while accusing the ruling party, BJP, of resorting to "cowardly acts" to stifle opposition voices and manipulate the electoral process, stated, "This cowardly act has exposed fears of the ruling party now resorting to desperate measures by manipulating elections even before they are held." She drew parallels with history, emphasizing the futility of tyranny in the face of unified resistance.
"We will not be intimidated," she affirmed, rallying against what she perceived as a systemic assault on democratic principles.
The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, who serves as the national convenor and chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), sent shockwaves across political circles. The Enforcement Directorate arrested Kejriwal on Thursday night in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The move ignited a storm of controversy, with opposition leaders denouncing it as a dangerous precedent and a threat to the democratic fabric of the nation.
