New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Tuesday alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was put under house arrest a day after he met the farmers protesting at the Singhu border and formally extended support to Tuesday’s ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by them.
Addressing a press meet, MLA and senior party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “(The) CM met farmers at Singhu border yesterday. He had said we will serve them like ‘sevadars’ and support them. After he returned, Delhi Police barricaded his residence from all sides, putting him in a house-arrest like situation, at the behest of home ministry.”
Important press conference by AAP MLA Shri @Saurabh_MLAgk I Live https://t.co/RNhWxuaYE1
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2020
Bharadwaj alleged that all meetings of Kejriwal have been cancelled.
The party also claimed that the Delhi Police has deployed the three mayors of the city’s municipal corporation on dharna outside the main gate of Kejriwal’s residence under orders of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“Our MLAs are also not being allowed to meet the CM. We will march to the CM and meet him and get him out of the house so that he can stand with the farmers,” Bharadwaj added.
AAP MLA @akhilesht84 was not allowed to meet CM @ArvindKejriwal who's under house arrest.
MLA Akhilesh Tripathi was manhandled by police. #BJPHouseArrestsKejriwal #आज_भारत_बंद_है
pic.twitter.com/r7IC23vo0B pic.twitter.com/RsnwXF0pga— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2020
In a tweet, the party said “BJP’s Delhi Police” has put the CM under house arrest.
Important :
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
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2020
Cabinet ministers in the Delhi government as well as party leaders also tweeted in Kejriwal’s support with the hashtag #BJPHouseArrestsArvindKejriwal.
BJP सरकार ने आज इमर्जेंसी की यादे ताज़ा कर दी, दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री श्री @arvindkejriwal के घर के चारो ओर, सींघु बॉर्डर से लौटने के बाद से ही बैरिकेडिंग करके उनको नजरबंद कर दिया गया हैं।
जिसके कारण ना कोई उनसे मिल सकता है ना वो घर से बाहर आ जा सकते है।#BJPHouseArrestsKejriwal— Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) December 8, 2020
कल जैसे ही सिंघु बॉर्डर पर किसानो से मिलकर @ArvindKejriwal जी वापस घर आए उन्हें गृह मंत्री @AmitShah के आदेश पर House Arrest कर लिया गया @ArvindKejriwal भारत बंद के समर्थन में घर से बाहर ना निकलने पाये इसलिये उन्हें गिरफ़्तार किया गया। #8दिसंबर_भारत_बंद
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) December 8, 2020
Also read: 5 reasons why Modi govt is finding it difficult to tackle protesting farmers
Delhi Police denies claims
The Delhi Police, however, denied these claims. In an official statement to the media, it said security has been tightened outside Kejriwal’s house “to prevent any untoward incident”, adding that the CM is “allowed to go anywhere”.
“It is completely untrue. Mr Kejriwal has not been placed under house arrest, there was no such order. Nobody can be stopped from exercising his right to free movement and carry on with his work within the ambit of law. This is nothing but a publicity stunt,” a senior police officer, who did not want to be named, told ThePrint.
This claim of CM Delhi being put on house arrest is incorrect. He exercises his right to free movement within the law of the land. A picture of the house entrance says it all.@DelhiPolice @LtGovDelhi pic.twitter.com/NCWBB9phDS
— DCP North Delhi (@DcpNorthDelhi) December 8, 2020
Meanwhile, Congress Delhi unit president Anil Kumar Chaudhary retweeted DCP North’s tweet claiming that house arrest was CM Kejriwal’s excuse to not support the farmers.
अरविंद केजरीवाल नरेंद्र मोदी और उनके पूंजीपतियों के खिलाफ सड़क पर उतरने से डरता है इसलिए बहाने बना रहा है.#BharatBandh https://t.co/eRlu1LVFVb
— Anil Chaudhary (@Ch_AnilKumarINC) December 8, 2020
With inputs from Ananya Bhardwaj
Also read: Allies step up pressure on BJP to end deadlock with farmers, party says ‘treading cautiously’