GUWAHATI: After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a significant defection has rocked his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Assam.
Prominent leaders from the party have jumped ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), marking a significant political shift in the region.
“Senior leaders of AAP in Delhi have found themselves embroiled in a scandal involving liquor graft. In a gesture of protest against this shameful crime, senior party members in Guwahati have opted to align themselves with the BJP, demonstrating their support for the Prime Minister’s policies,” said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the Rouse Avenue court sent Delhi Chief Minister to ED custody for 10 days.
This development occurred after the AAP supremo withdrew his petition from the Supreme Court, which sought bail in the excise policy case.
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It’s the same case for which the central agency had arrested him the previous night.
On Friday afternoon, several members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) found themselves in the clutches of the Assam police in Dibrugarh district.
The detention unfolded as AAP’s Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency candidate, Manoj Dhanowar, along with the party’s Assam president, Bhaben Choudhary, led a demonstration outside the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office.
Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy case has sent shockwaves across the political spectrum.
This unprecedented move marks the first instance of a sitting chief minister being apprehended, intensifying the ongoing controversy.
Previously, on Thursday night, a chain of protests followed AAP’s Delhi unit convenor, Gopal Rai’s announcement of a nationwide protest against the BJP following Kejriwal’s arrest.
