LIVE | Delhi court sends Kejriwal to ED custody till March 28
Court reserves order, will be passed shortly
Delhi Rouse Avenue Court's Special Judge reserves the order on the ED application seeking 10 days custodial remand of CM Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The order will be passed shortly.
Arrest of sitting CM on eve of polls constitutes 'threat to democracy': Aiyar
A day after Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday said the arrest of a sitting chief minister, that too on the very eve of a general election, constitutes an immediate and long-term "threat to democracy and presages the end of constitutional democracy in India".
Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi chief minister, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an excise policy-linked money laundering case on Thursday.
In a statement, Aiyar said the "unprecedented arrest of a sitting CM, and that too on the very eve of a general election after the promulgation of the Model Code of Conduct, constitutes an immediate and long-term threat to democracy and presages the end of constitutional democracy in India".
BJP has faith in dictatorship, not in Constitution: Siddaramaiah
Accusing BJP-led NDA government of freezing Congress' bank accounts fearing defeat in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday expressed hope that the people of the country will clearly reject the saffron party and "save" India.
BJP has no faith in democracy and Constitution, but has faith in dictatorship, he alleged, as he demanded that free and fair elections be held. Claiming that the money voluntarily donated by the people was in the Congress accounts, Siddaramaiah expressed outrage about freezing of the entire account for a "small technical reason" and termed it as a "dictatorial attitude".
PM Modi behaving like a tin-pot dictator: Derek O'Brien
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of behaving like a "tin-pot dictator," and said the BJP-led Centre was arresting opposition leaders in its desperation to secure win in the upcoming elections.
"The Prime Minister is behaving like a tin-pot dictator, arresting opponents, election agents, transferring state government officials... Changing rules in desperation to win seats... Why?" said O'Brien, who is in Delhi for a meeting of opposition INDIA bloc leaders with the Chief Election Commissioner, a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate.
INDIA bloc parties are rallying behind Kejriwal, with the TMC making its first appearance with the opposition alliance partners since seat-sharing talks with Congress in West Bengal failed, and it announced going solo in the Lok Sabha polls.