'Like Vladimir Putin...': Kejriwal's 'India under dictatorship' jibe in Punjab
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during a campaign rally on Friday, said that India is currently under a "dictatorship." In a veiled jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he drew a comparison between the current situation in India and that of Vladimir Putin's Russia. "The dictatorship that is going on in our country is not acceptable. India has never seen such a period in the past 75 years, putting opposition leaders in jail," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal draws parallels with Putin's Russia
The Delhi CM—out on bail till June 1—said, "Like in Russia...Putin...either sent all rival leaders in jail or got them killed and then conducted the elections and got 87% votes." To recall, Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in a money laundering probe linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. The Aam Aadmi Party leader has refuted the allegations against him, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of misusing central agencies to target the opposition.
Kejriwal highlights incarceration of opposition leaders
Kejriwal also talked about the arrest of former Deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, who has been in jail since February last year. He accused the government of harassing other opposition parties including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, and MK Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. "Put everyone in jail. Then only one party and one leader will remain but democracy will not survive," he added.
Row over Maliwal assault case
This statement comes amid a row over the allegations of assault on the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar. The case came to light on Monday, when the Delhi Police said it received two distress calls that Maliwal had been assaulted there. A case has been booked against under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force on woman with intent to disrobe) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
Kejriwal, Akhilesh evade questions on Maliwal assault case
On Thursday, during the joint press conference of Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, the two leaders sidestepped questions on Maliwal's assault case. When reporters raised questions on the incident, Kejriwal handed over the microphone to Yadav who dismissed it by stating, "There are more important things than this."
