New Delhi: Senior advocate and former Congress MP Kapil Sibal has urged all Opposition parties to unite and move the Supreme Court with a joint petition under Article 32—the constitutional right to seek remedy for violations of fundamental rights—against the BJP-led Union government.
Sibal was speaking at the launch of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s book Unlikely Paradise—a memoir of the author’s time as political prisoner where he accuses the BJP-led government of misusing investigative agencies for political gains. “The Enforcement Directorate has turned into an endorsement directorate, where its job is to endorse the government’s actions. The rule of law no longer exists here,” Sibal said.
The launch of Raut’s book was attended by former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress Leader Digvijaya Singh, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, TMC leader Saket Gokhale, and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.
Four of those present—Kejriwal, Raut, Singh and Gokhale—have spent time in jail in cases still under trial. The leaders alleged “gross misuse” of investigative agencies and the Election Commission.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh hit out at the BJP, questioning the conviction rates of the ED and CBI. He said: “You cannot fight corruption when the investigators themselves are compromised… how many cases filed by the ED/CBI have seen convictions?”
On similar lines, Sibal questioned why most of those facing cases are from Opposition parties. “Are only Opposition leaders corrupt, while everyone in the BJP is spotless? What is happening in the country?”
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien pointed to what he called “selective enforcement”, suggesting that some parliamentarians have avoided scrutiny by investigative agencies through “arrangements” with the BJP. “I meet at least 10–15 people in Parliament every day who were supposed to be in jail but have made a ‘setting’ with the BJP,” said O’Brien.
‘Freedom fighters’
Kejriwal, arrested by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), called himself and other jailed leaders “freedom fighters”, and launched a sharp political attack on the BJP-led government. “The BJP’s empire is on its last legs. Prime Minister Modi will not be able to complete his term till 2026. Despite a strong social media machinery, they are unable to control the narrative online. Both Prime and Home Minister have become increasingly unpopular,” he remarked.
Kejriwal also said that the definition of “imaandar (honest)” and “beimaan (dishonest)” has been interchanged. He said “Those who join the BJP out of fear are ‘beimaan’; those who go to jail are ‘imaandar’. When the country is free of the BJP, we will be proud of our contribution.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who was arrested by the ED in Patra Chawl redevelopment money laundering case under the PMLA, also spoke of a “change in the winds” and what he described as a shift in the Prime Minister’s attitude. “The mood in the country is slowly changing. The Prime Minister appeared in the Lok Sabha after a long gap and seemed concerned, even scared. A year-and-a-half ago, the situation was grave with sitting CMs and MPs being picked up,” said Raut.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien, echoing similar claims by other leaders, predicted a humiliating defeat for the BJP in the upcoming elections. He added that the outcome would not remain confined to Bengal but could be replicated in other states, including Uttar Pradesh. He said: “The people of Bengal will not just defeat Modi and Shah—they will humiliate them.”
The ongoing tussle between the Election Commission and Opposition continued, with leaders on the dais again alleging ‘vote chori’ and voter list manipulation at the behest of the ruling BJP. O’Brien said that under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership in West Bengal, the party did not allow what he described as the Election Commission’s “jugglery”, claiming that over 60 lakh voters are still in question.
Kejriwal also suggested that he lost his New Delhi seat due to manipulation and voter deletions from electoral rolls.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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