Arrest And Freeze Operations

The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday by Enforcement Directorate (ED) raises concern about the selective targeting of the opposition leaders by the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party government ahead of the General Elections in India. The arrests of Kejriwal and several other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders in connection with the same case as well as the detention of other opposition figures like former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Jharkhand suggest a pattern that could be perceived as politically motivated. Moreover, the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest shortly after the Election Commissioner of India (ECI) published details of Electoral Bonds (EB) raises suspicions about the intent of the ruling BJP. The pattern suggests a potential attempt to divert attention from issues related to electoral transparency and financial accountability, which the disclosure of the EBs aims to address. Additionally, the arrest coming just on the day of the election process being notified for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections could disrupt the electoral process and influence voters’ perceptions. The allegations of the opposition leaders describing such arrests as a conspiracy, hinting at unfair targeting for political gains, are not misplaced. These claims deepen the suspicions about the impartiality of law enforcement agencies and raise several questions about the credibility of the entire electoral process. They also underscore the broader concerns about the fairness and credibility of the elections.

The arrests of sitting Chief Ministers and prominent opposition leaders, a few days before the Lok Sabha elections could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and raise doubts about the level playing for all political parties. Such actions of the ruling BJP through blatant misuse of enforcement agencies also undermine the premise of ECI, which claims declared commitment to allow a level playing field to all the parties contesting the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections being held simultaneously in the country.

Apart from this, the freezing of bank accounts of the main opposition party, Indian National Congress (INC), which has alleged that the ruling BJP was running the biggest extortion racket in the world, is yet another indication of attempts to manipulate the elections. This action of the enforcement agency against the INC a month before the General Elections appears to be aimed at what its leaders alleged ‘crippling’ the party financially, and an attempt to create hurdles in the Congress participation in the election process. The Income Tax department asking questions about a 30-year-old transaction in the INC case appears to be not only unjust but also a travesty of justice in the light of the fact that the political parties are exempted from tax liabilities and no accounts are to be maintained other than the past three years as per the rules notified. Confiscation of more than Rs 100 crore from the INC accounts by the Income Tax department is an action that is not only unprecedented but also surprising as such a thing is happening for the first time in the political history of the country.

Whether it is the case of arrests or freezing of accounts, the delay in getting redressal from the competent courts and other constitutional institutions makes the going tough for the targeted political parties in the opposition. It amounts to blatant abuse of power when the ruling party begins to use the state’s institutions like the Income Tax department and ED as weapons of witch hunt. Amidst the elections, they completely undermine democracy as well as the fairness and credibility of the General Elections.

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