Highlights:
- Aam Aadmi Party alleged today that CM of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal had been put under house arrest by Delhi Police
- AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said no one has been permitted to leave or enter the official residence of the CM since yesterday
- Delhi Police has clarified that there is no restriction on the movement of the CM
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged this morning that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been put under house arrest by the police after he met with the protesting farmers yesterday and was forced to cancel his meetings. The charge was refuted by the Delhi Police.
AAP also claimed that because of the Bharat Bandh called by farmers protesting against the new agricultural laws of the central government, the Chief Minister was purposely blocked.
In a tweet, AAP said, “BJP’s Delhi Police has put Hon’ble CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest ever since he visited farmers at Singhu Border yesterday. No one has been permitted to leave or enter his residence.”
Important :
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2020
BJP's Delhi Police has put Hon'ble CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal under house arrest ever since he visited farmers at Singhu Border yesterday
No one has been permitted to leave or enter his residence#आज_भारत_बंद_है#BJPHouseArrestsKejriwal
Kejriwal, the national convener of the party, had promised support for the farmers protesting against the three agricultural laws of the Centre. To review the arrangements made for them on Monday, he visited the border of Singhu, where the farmers are demonstrating.
Kejriwal talked to the reporters and said, “I had the arrangements reviewed. We received a lot of pressure to allow stadiums to be used as temporary prisons, but we did not give permission and I believe the movement was supported by this. Since then, MLAs and ministers of our party have been engaged in ensuring that farmers do not encounter any discomfort, and we operate like ‘sewadaar’. I have not come here as a chief minister, but to represent the farmers as a ‘sewadaar.’ It is our duty to help farmers and hoping a solution will be found.”
“In the nationwide protest, AAP will participate. I hope it is peacefully joined by the entire nation and I call on them to join and support the farmers. I have come to survey the arrangements. The bathrooms are clean. Water doesn’t really reach all stages, so a motor and a pipeline will be positioned.” He said further, “The farmers are happy with the arrangements. Jarnail Singh, our MLA, spent the night here in support of them. In supporting the farmers, both our volunteers and party members are involved.”
The Delhi Police, however, denied the charges, with the DCP saying it was a general deployment to prevent any dispute between the AAP and any other parties, and Kejriwal was free to step out.
Also Read: Farmers Protest News Update: Kejriwal Visits Protesting Farmers Near Delhi-Haryana Border
The visit of the CM, however, was not welcomed by all, as Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asked his counterpart from Delhi on Monday if he even knew the difference between wheat and paddy. Amarinder Singh said ridiculing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s decision to go to the Singhu border to meet the protesting farmers, “Kejriwal’s argument of being a ‘sevadar’ of the farmers is clearly ridiculous for a man who had lost no time notifying one of the three Central farm laws and publicly proclaimed himself to be powerless in the matter.”
Singh challenged his Delhi counterpart to quote any move for the farmers in Delhi taken by his government.
Amarinder Singh said in a scathing attack on the Delhi Chief Minister, whom he dubbed as nothing more than a master-twister who could bow to any level to further his political interests, and also added that he did not even bother to convene a session of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha on the issue.”
He also asked Kejriwal to endorse his claims to support the demands of the farmers by freely and legally opposing the farm laws, as the Punjab government was doing, rather than indulging in the political drama of public consumption.
