INDIA bloc during its protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Azad Maidan on Tuesday.
PANAJI
The INDIA bloc hit the ground in Goa on Tuesday when almost all MLAs of the alliance’s partners joined the protest at Azad Maidan against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy scam case.
There was a bit of a fracas initially when the INDIA leaders and about 100 supporters were stopped from entering the historic ground by the police on grounds that it would violate the Model Code of Conduct.
After much discussion and debate with the police officers there, first by Leader of the Opposition, Yuri Alemao who was then joined by Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and AAP State president Amit Palekar, the protesters were allowed in. Alemao, who addressed the protesters and the media, alleged that the police action to initially stop them from entering the maidan was a symptom of the ruling BJP government’s dictatorial streak.
Citing other instances, Alemao said the freezing of the Congress’ bank accounts and the arrests of Opposition leaders including that of Kejriwal were part of the BJP’s game plan to vitiate the level playing field for the elections.
“The BJP is ready with bat and pads but we don’t have anything and they are asking us to play a cricket match,” Alemao said, even as he added that he was confident that the people would bowl the right delivery at the right time and stump the BJP.
“People are with INDI Alliance, basically the BJP and NDA are scared. The people are watching. Under INDI alliance banner, the Opposition will crush the BJP,” Alemao said. On Kejriwal’s arrest, Alemao said there is no bar on him running the Delhi government from jail as there is no provision in the Constitution which prevents it.
GFP’s Vijai Sardesai termed Kejriwal’s arrest as unprecedented, especially when the process of the general elections had already been set in motion and the Model Code of Conduct had come into force.
“It’s an old case. If they wanted to arrest Kejriwal then they could have done it earlier but he was arrested after the code of conduct was invoked,” Sardesai said.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Sardesai said the saffron party has promised this and the other guarantee but have not promised whether democracy will prevail or not.
Palekar said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is fabricating evidence against AAP as the agency has nothing to support its allegations.
He said, while other parties including the BJP spent lakhs of rupees on their workers, the volunteers of AAP toil voluntarily due to the honest politics that the party pursues.
He added that all the AAP’s candidates in the 2022 elections are ready to face any inquiry from law enforcement agencies. Palekar made the comment in the context of the ED’s claim that proceeds of the liquor scam were spent on the elections in Goa.
The protest which lasted over two hours saw leaders of all the constituents of the INDIA bloc participate including former minister Jose Philip D’Souza who heads the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP.
