Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an excise policy-linked money laundering case on March 21, after a series of searches and questioning sessions at his official residence. Following this, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called for a nationwide protest against the ruling BJP government and the federal agency in this regard.
The AAP supremo’s arrest made headlines in every prominent international media organization including The Washington Post, BBC, The New York Times, and others. Take a look at foreign media’s coverage of Arvind Kejriwal arrest news,
– The Washington Post headlined the article “India arrests Delhi chief minister as Crackdown on opposition spreads”. “While Kejriwal’s role and culpability in the affair remain unclear — Kejriwal has denied wrongdoing — opposition parties in recent months have increasingly accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP of unfairly using federal investigative agencies to systematically pressure political rivals — or jail them outright ahead of crucial national elections that begin April 19,” the article read.
– The New York Times report titled, “Indian Opposition Parties Say They Face Tide of Troubles as Vote Nears”. “Critics called CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, a push by the Modi government to put the opposition at a disadvantage ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” the article read.
– BBC carried out the article with the headline, “Arvind Kejriwal: Delhi’s chief minister arrested over corruption claims”. “AAP claims that the BJP seeks to topple its Delhi government despite its dominant position in the legislative assembly. Along with other opposition parties, it accuses the BJP of targeting opposition leaders through central agencies,” the article read.
– Al Jazeera titled its article “‘Dead democracy’: Will Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest unite India’s opposition?” “The latest arrest also plunged India’s capital into an unprecedented constitutional crisis – it is the first time that Delhi’s serving chief minister has been arrested. Calling it “dirty politics” by Modi over a “bogus case”, a spokesperson for Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) told Al Jazeera that the party leader would not resign, and, rather, “run the government from jail”,” the article read.
