Modi has declared emergency: Arvind Kejriwal

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party legislator Dinesh Mohania in the middle of a news conference, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that the PM has declared “Emergency” in the national capital. “Modi declares emergency in Delhi. Arresting, raiding, terrorising, filing false cases against all those whom Delhi elected,” Mr Kejriwal tweeted.

Mr Mohaniya, who is also the vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board, was picked up by a police team while addressing a news conference at his office in Khanpur in South Delhi.

Mr Mohaniya dismissed the charges against him as “baseless”. “I am ready to cooperate with the police investigation but the allegations against me are baseless,” he said.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia expressed his displeasure at the entire incident, saying that the Modi government is agitated at being unable to handle affairs at the international level and is tormenting the democratically elected AAP government in Delhi. “The AAP legislator was dragged out of his press conference by Delhi police as if he is a notorious criminal. The planned manner in which cases are being mounted against the AAP legislators, proves that Mr Modi, who has failed on all fronts at the international level, cannot digest the success of an honest government in Delhi,” Mr Sisodia said.

The Aam Aadmi Party, meanwhile, alleged that the dramatic arrest of its MLA was a “pressure tactic” by the Centre and BJP to divert attention from NDMC estate officer M.M. Khan’s murder case and “save” lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung and MP Maheish Girri.

The episode is the latest in the long-running feud between the AAP and the BJP. On Friday, Mr Kejriwal had attacked the Centre saying they had returned 14 bills sent by the Delhi government. The L-G’s office, however, denied the charge. The party also claimed that the station house officer (SHO) of Jamia Nagar, Mangesh Tyagi, who led the probe in Khan murder case, was transferred on June 9. Also, the ACP of the area was shifted. “If you look at the events in the last few days. 14 bills (passed by the Delhi Assembly) have been sent back (by the Centre). Mohania was arrested today. The SHO probing Khan’s murder case has been transferred. All these suggest one thing, that it is to pressurise AAP, which has been taking forward the case, and save L-G Najeeb Jung, BJP MP Maheish Girri and NDMC vice-chairman Karan Tanwar,” AAP leader Ashutosh told reporters.