A number of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members were captured by the Assam police in the Dibrugarh district on Friday afternoon.............
Digital desk: After the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Assam has suffered a major defection.
Leading party figures have switched sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), indicating a dramatic shift in the political landscape of the area.
“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.
The Delhi Chief Minister was placed in ED custody for ten days earlier in the day by the Rouse Avenue court. This happened when the AAP chief retracted his appeal to the Supreme Court, which was asking for bail in the case involving the excise policy.
The central agency had arrested him the night before on an identical case. A number of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members were captured by the Assam police in the Dibrugarh district on Friday afternoon.
Manoj Dhanowar, the AAP's candidate for the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat, and Bhaben Choudhary, the party's president for Assam, organized a protest outside the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office when the detention took place.
Shockwaves have been felt throughout the political spectrum following Kejriwal's detention by the ED in relation to the Delhi excise policy case.
This extraordinary action escalates the ongoing debate as it is the first time a sitting chief minister has been arrested.
Previously, on Thursday night, after AAP Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai declared a nationwide protest against the BJP in response to Kejriwal's incarceration, a series of protests took place.
