Signs of emergency, says AAP as it claims 80% of its leaders arrested since Sunday
New Delhi (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that 80 per cent of its leaders were arrested by Delhi Police since Sunday, and questioned whether anyone can be detained for more than 24 hours.
The CBI on Sunday arrested Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the now-scrapped excise policy while police detained 50 people, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh and minister Gopal Rai, who were protesting near the CBI office where Sisodia was being questioned.
According to police, the leaders detained on Sunday were being released today.
Addressing a press conference, AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said the long detention was illegal and drew a parallel between former prime minister Indira Gandhi's emergency era and the present.
"Since yesterday, the Aam Aadmi Party has been repeatedly saying that not only has Manish Sisodia ji been arrested, but almost 80 per cent of the leadership of the party has been arrested by the police. When asked, the central government is saying that they have only been detained," he said.
"I want to know whether the detention is of one hour, two hours or three hours. Now it will be 24 hours, can police detain such big leaders for 24 hours? There is no such provision in the law," he opined.
Noting that it is 'illegal' to detain someone for such a long duration, he said by now, the leaders should have been presented in the court.
"By now you should have presented them in the court and told under which sections and for what reason you have arrested a Rajya Sabha MP? Delhi's senior leader Gopal Rai has been detained. Adil Ahmed Khan who looks after the work of the organization has also been arrested. Dozens of MLAs and elected councilors have been arrested by the police since yesterday. They spent the whole night in the police station. The police hasn't released them yet," he said.
Bhardwaj said these are "signs of emergency" and the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is doing what former prime minister Indira Gandhi did when she imposed emergency in 1975.
"These are very dangerous signs. These are signs of emergency. You have put all the leaders behind bars without any reason and this is wrong. The central government should answer on what basis did it arrest our top leadership and put them behind bars," he said.
Talking about Sisodia's arrest, he wondered what new development had taken place that prompted the agency to arrest him.
"Today, I read all the newspapers to understand whether anything new was found against him (Sisodia). It was the same stale story that CBI has been narrating since May last year," he claimed.
Questioning the need for Sisodia's arrest, he said CBI has all the files but nothing was found against him.
"I want to know what was the need to make the arrest now. Was he running away from the country? He didn't run in the last 10 months, why would he run now? Was he influencing anyone or destroying evidence? He had many opportunities in the last eight months and he could have done it but when he didn't do it then why would he do it now," he said.
Bhardwaj said that former LG Anil Baijal, who approved and notified the liquor policy, should also be questioned.
"The biggest thing that we came to know in the newspapers is that there is corruption in the policy that has been made. Everyone knows that it was former LG Anil Baijal who had approved and notified the policy. Baijal was was appointed by the Centre itself. If he approved this policy then what is CBI doing for the last 10 months. Why didn't the CBI interrogate him?" he asked.
Reiterating that the Centre is "torturing" the AAP, he said the party will hold a peaceful protest outside BJP headquarters to protest against the developments.
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Cong demands TN governor's sacking over his 'secularism is European concept' remark
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Monday slammed as "outrageous and unacceptable" Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's remark that "secularism is a European concept" and demanded his immediate sacking.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that Ravi is "only a trial balloon floater" and is echoing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to get done.
Ramesh's remarks came after Ravi said secularism is a European concept that evolved after a conflict between the church and the king whereas Bharat is a dharma-centric nation and therefore, it was not part of the Constitution but added during Emergency by "one insecure prime minister".
The Tamil Nadu governor, while addressing an event in the Kanyakumari district on Sunday, said a lot of frauds have been committed against the people of the country and one of those was a wrong interpretation of secularism.
Reacting to the remarks, Ramesh said, "This man, who has taken an oath on the Constitution and who -- inspite of his drumbeating -- remains a Constitutional functionary, should be sacked forthwith. He is a disgrace."
"This is not the first outrageous and unacceptable statement he has made. But he is only a trial balloon floater. He is echoing what the non-biological PM wants to get done," the Congress leader said.
Ravi had also said, "What does secularism mean? Secularism is a European concept, secularism is not a Bharatiya concept."
Decades later, during Emergency (1975-77), "one insecure prime minister," introduced secularism in the Constitution in order to appease some sections of people, the Governor alleged.
Indira Gandhi was the prime minister during Emergency.
Ravi further said that secularism emerged in Europe as there was a fight between the church and the king and in order to end this conflict, which went on for a long time, this concept was evolved.
At the time of Independence, when the Constitution was being drafted, a discussion came up on secularism and the Constituent Assembly rejected it observing that Bharat is a dharma-centric country and there has been no conflict, similar to what was witnessed in Europe, Ravi had claimed.
