Arvind Kejriwal 'invited' ED to arrest him by not responding to summonses: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Pic/PTI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal effectively invited his own arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) due to his repeated failure to respond to summonses, suggesting that it might have been a tactic to garner political sympathy, reported news agency PTI.

Sarma emphasised that when a person disregards nine summonses from the ED, it indicates a deliberate invitation for arrest.

He remarked that if Kejriwal had complied with the initial summonses, his arrest might have been avoided.

Speaking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters here after a poll-preparedness meeting on Saturday, Sarma said, "If the ED serves someone nine summonses and that person doesn't show up, it is evident that he is inviting his arrest. The ED didn't arrest Kejriwal, he invited the agency to arrest him," reported PTI.

The BJP leader cited the examples of politicians such as Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who appeared before the ED when they were issued summonses, implying that Kejriwal's actions deviated from this norm.

When questioned about Kejriwal's refusal to comply with the summonses, Sarma speculated about potential political motivations, suggesting that it could have been a strategy to elicit sympathy from the public, reported PTI.

The ED arrested Kejriwal on Friday, hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

In response to Kejriwal's arrest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced a citywide protest in Delhi. The party plans to hold a candlelight march and effigy burning on Sunday to express their opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and what they term as the 'fake arrest' of Kejriwal. The AAP believes that this arrest could be a turning point leading to the ousting of the BJP government.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the AAP said, "There will be a candle march and effigy burning across Delhi tomorrow in protest against the dictatorship of the BJP and the fake arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. Now the people of Delhi have come out on the streets in protest against the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We all have to stand together as the shield of Arvind Kejriwal. The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal will prove to be the last nail to oust the Modi government from power."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case.

(With inputs from PTI)