Farmers' Protest: CM Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest, claims AAP; Delhi Police deny allegation
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was put under house arrest to prevent him from going to the capital's border to express solidarity with Bharat Bandh called by protesting farmers, with Delhi Police denying the allegations as "totally baseless and unfounded".
AAP said the police move came a day after Kejriwal visited Singhu border to express solidarity with protesting farmers and his refusal to allow converting stadiums into jails while police insisted that the Chief Minister was free to move in and out of his official residence in north Delhi's Civil Lines.
Late in the evening, Kejriwal addressed AAP supporters from his residence and said, "I had planned that today I would go to the border not as Chief Minister but as a common man to express my solidarity with the farmers. I think they came to know about my plan and they did not let me go. If I wasn't stopped, I would have gone & supported farmers in their Bharat Bandh call."
The confrontation started on Tuesday morning with AAP fielding its chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj to accuse the police of not allowing MLAs and others to enter Kejriwal's residence.
"On the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Delhi Police has put Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under house arrest ever since he visited farmers at Singhu border. No one has been permitted to leave or enter his residence and he has not been allowed to meet anyone. When our MLAs went to meet the chief minister, they were beaten and thrown on the streets. The party volunteers were also not allowed to meet," he alleged.
Later in the afternoon, Sisodia sat in protest against police claiming that he was prevented from entering Kejriwal's residence.
However, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satish Golcha said it is claimed in social media and elsewhere that there have been restrictions on the movement of Kejriwal.
"I would like to clarify in this regard that these claims are totally baseless and unfounded. There are absolutely no restrictions. The chief minister is doing his normal engagements and there is normal movement. Further he is going out of his residence for his engagements," he told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Anto Alphonse tweeted a photograph of the entrance of Kejriwal's residence and said, "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."
In the afternoon, Sisodia spoke to the media outside Kejriwal's residence, claiming that he and several party MLAs were not allowed to meet the CM.
"Still the police are falsely saying that there is no house arrest. They are doing this because Kejriwal denied permission to convert Delhi's stadiums into temporary prisons to lodge the protesting farmers. They are afraid of Kejriwal and fear that he will come out to support the bandh," he said.
AAP MP Bhagwant Mann claimed he was stopped by the police from entering the residence. "We had heard of the emergency, but today we experienced it. I am not being allowed to go in and meet the CM. I am the elected representative and I am not being allowed. The BJP government is rattled and is trying to stop the Delhi CM from showing his support to the protesting farmers," he alleged.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar said, "AAP is constantly doing politics of lies and betrayal. Yesterday, Kejriwal went to Singhu border and he also went to a party in the evening. They are calling resting at home as house arrest," he tweeted with a video.
Delhi Congress president Anil Chaudhary said it was a "gimmick". "How can he go out in support of Bharat Bandh when his own government has notified the new farm law? He must be waiting for Amit Shah's permission before leaving his residence," he said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has extended its support to the 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmers' organisations.
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi against the new farm laws.
The Centre's offer to amend the contentious laws failed to cut ice with farmer groups during the fifth round of talks on Saturday.