Unjust, murder of democracy: Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan condemn Kejriwal's arrest

Even as Anna Hazare hit out at Arvind Kejriwal saying he was arrested for his "deeds", some former AAP leaders, who had left the party, came out in support of the Delhi Chief MInister saying his arrest before the Lok Sabha polls "without evidence" is akin to "murder of democracy".

On Friday, March 22, many former AAP leaders like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, slammed the arrest of a sitting chief minister before the Lok Sabha elections.

However, former tourism minister in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, who is now a vice-president in the Delhi BJP, Kapil Mishra described Kejriwal's arrest as a "joyous day" for the residents of the national capital.

AAP's national convenor Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday evening in a Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. On Friday, he was produced before a court where the ED dubbed him a "key conspirator" in the excise policy scam case and sought his 10-day custody.

Unjust, says Yadav

Political activist and founder of Swaraj India Yogendra Yadav, who was removed from the AAP in 2015 by its disciplinary committee, termed Kejriwal's arrest as "unjust".

"I am astonished. What is going on in this country in the name of democracy? You change the referee before the match by appointing new ECs (election commissioners). You are freezing the bank accounts of opponent. Notices have been given in 30-year-old cases. Do proper investigation. If court convicts, then be it PM (prime minister) or anybody else, they should be punished," he said while talking to PTI.

Yadav said "making arrests before an election by hook or by crook is like murder of democracy"."Unjust (what) has been done to Arvind Kejriwal. I'm sure people will teach them a lesson," he said.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, the RJD and the TMC, have been attacking the BJP-led central government over the AAP leader's arrest.

Kejriwal and Yadav, who were prominent leaders of the Anna Hazare-led 'India Against Corruption' movement of 2011-12, also founded the AAP along with others in 2012. However, amid internal squabbling, many top AAP leaders, including Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, quit the party.

No documentary evidence

On Kejriwal's arrest, Bhushan claimed that there was "no documentary evidence" with the ED against the chief minister.

"It's astounding that the ED has arrested a chief minister just before the elections after the Model Code of Conduct has come into place, and in a case, where they don't have any documentary evidence to show that he was involved in corruption, where they are relying on a statement of some approver who was the officer of a company. The company that had given electoral bonds to the BJP party which controls the ED," Bhushan said, without taking names.

Targeting the AAP, Mishra said, "It is a joyous day for the people of Delhi. It's a day for justice." It is freedom from the rule of a "corrupt and dishonest" government, Mishra said while talking to PTI.

Due to his deeds

Talking to PTI at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra, Anna Hazare said he had warned Kejriwal to stay away from making such a policy. He was arrested because of his own deeds, he said.

"I had told him that our job is not to make excise policy. Even a small child knows that liquor is bad. I had asked him to stay away from this (excise policy) issue. But he went ahead and made the policy,” Hazare said, .

"He got arrested due to his deeds. Had he not done anything, there was no question of his being arrested," Hazare said.

Now, the law will take its course and the government will do the needful, he said. 

(With inputs from agencies)