Regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir have lashed out at the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged excise policy scam case, terming it a severe attack on democracy and dissenting voices. Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have led the charge in condemning the Central agency’s actions.
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Abdullah, who is vice president of the National Conference (NC) party, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his resentment over the arrest, calling it a “blot on democracy.” In a strongly-worded post, he wrote: “Aisi Taisi Democracy. For all the talk of 400+ seats, the ruling dispensation is displaying a remarkable degree of nervousness. Having a sitting opposition CM arrested by a pliable central agency within days of the general elections being announced is a blot on democracy.”
Aisi Taisi Democracy. For all the talk of 400+ seats, the ruling dispensation is displaying a remarkable degree of nervousness. Having a sitting opposition CM arrested by a pliable central agency within days of the general elections being announced is a blot on democracy. @JKNC_…
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 22, 2024
The former J&K CM also used the hashtag #JKNCstandswith@ArvindKejriwal&@AamAadmiParty, signaling his party’s support for Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in their fight against what they perceive as political vendetta.
Echoing similar sentiments, Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and another former J&K CM, slammed the “arbitrary arrest” as “reeking of political vendetta and growing authoritarianism.”
The arbitrary arrest of yet another CM by ED reeks of political vendetta & growing authoritarianism.This cowardly act has exposed fears of the ruling party now resorting to desperate measures by manipulating elections even before they are held. History has shown that tyranny…
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 21, 2024
“This cowardly act has exposed fears of the ruling party now resorting to desperate measures by manipulating elections even before they are held. History has shown that tyranny never prevails in the face of unified resistance. We will not be intimidated,” Mufti stated on X.
Both the regional parties have alleged that the arrest of Kejriwal, who has emerged as a prominent opposition voice against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, is a brazen attempt to intimidate and silence dissent ahead of the crucial 2024 general elections.
They have vowed to resist such measures and continue raising voices against any attack on democracy and dissent, warning that the move could backfire and unite opposition forces further. The development has sent shockwaves across the political spectrum in Jammu and Kashmir, with parties cutting across ideological lines condemning the ED’s actions against Kejriwal, who is the second Chief Minister to be arrested by the agency after Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. Tensions are running high in the union territory, with fears that the misuse of investigative agencies for political ends could further erode democratic institutions and processes in the already volatile region.
As the war of words escalates, all eyes are on how the situation unfolds, with the opposition gearing up for a long-drawn legal and political battle against what they perceive as the ruling dispensation’s authoritarian tendencies.
