INDIA bloc protests in Goa over Kejriwal’s arrest

Panaji, March 26 (IANS) INDIA bloc on Tuesday protested in Panaji over the arrest of the AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate.

The opposition party leaders including MLAs, who tried to enter Azad Maidan in Panaji, were initially restrained by the huge police force. However, later they were allowed to address the media.

Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, AAP President Amit Palekar, Goa Forward President and MLA Vijai Sardesai, NCP (sharad Pawar group) President Jose Philip, Shivsena (UBT) President Jitesh Kamat and others were present.

Yuri Alemao slammed the BJP government for not allowing them to enter the Azad Maidan.

“This place is (known) to mark protest, but BJP did ‘gundagardi’ and showed its dictatorship by restraining us from entering by using police force,” Alemao alleged.

“This is a murder of democracy by the BJP. Whenever we expose them, they try to silence us. Kejriwal, who is a Chief Minister, has been arrested at the time of the election. This is the first time that such a thing has happened,” Alemao said.

“It is not only the arrest of Kejriwal, but of every individual. If you raise a voice against the government they put people in jail,” Alemao said.

Amit Palekar said that the BJP is afraid of opposition and hence they didn’t allow even MLAs to enter Azad Maidan.

“Officers tried to stop us. We all have come together to fight against such practices,” he said.

He said that the BJP has been exposed through electoral bonds and hence to divert issues they are arresting opposition leaders.

Vijai Sardesai said that this is an unprecedented arrest at a time when the code of conduct is in force. “Kejriwal has been arrested in an old case, if they wanted to arrest him, then it should have been done earlier, why did they wait till the code of conduct? They can arrest opposition or anyone who speaks against the government,” Sardesai said.

“Do they (BJP) give guarantees that democracy will remain alive? Are they trying to make opposition ‘mukt Bharat’. Our country should not become like Pakistan, it should not become a ‘Banana Republic,” Sardesaid said.

--IANS

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