Dark day in India’s democratic history, says KCR on Kejriwal’s arrest

HYDERABAD: Former Chief Minister and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) has reacted strongly against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor scam case. KCR termed the arrest on Thursday as a “dark day in the country’s democratic history” which was “politically motivated.”

In a statement on Friday, KCR said, “The recent arrests of Jharkhand Chief

We demand the withdrawal of illegal cases and immediate release of those arrested. The BRS strongly condemns the actions of the BJP Government which are like an axe to democracy,” he said.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Revanth speaking on behalf of BJP: Harish Rao

Meanwhile, BRS leader and Siddipet MLA Harish Rao has said that while the Congress high command is reacting against the arrest of leaders, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is speaking as the B-team of the BJP.

"State Congress president and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is speaking completely opposite to what Congress national leaders like Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are saying to the way ED and CBI are dealing with the liquor policy case. He is talking like a B-team leader of the BJP. It has become once again clear that he is not working under the leadership of Kharge and Rahul and is working against the policies of Congress and in favour of the BJP and Prime Minister Modi.

"Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have said the same thing that we (BRS) have been saying for years regarding the liquor policy case. We alleged that the Modi Government manipulated the Central investigation agencies in their favour and is using them for political harassment in the name of liquor scam. Now, AICC has strengthened our argument. Mallikarjuna Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have alleged that the liquor scam is completely fictitious and that the Central Government is using investigative agencies to file false cases against political opponents and make illegal arrests.

"But Revanth Reddy and the state Congress leaders are speaking contrary to what the AICC leaders have been saying. They are saying that a liquor scam has taken place and there has been a delay in arresting the accused. We have been saying for long that Revanth Reddy is not a Congress man but a Modi man backing the RSS ideology. It turned out to be true. Forgetting that he is in the Congress, he is spreading lies on behalf of the BJP just to trouble the BRS politically," said Harish Rao.