Arvind Kejriwal arrested: Arvind Kejriwal, a common man who donned many hats including that of an engineer and a bureaucrat and then a politician who rose from the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to Delhi Excise Policy case. Kejriwal emerged to the national picture riding on Anna Hazare’s movement against the then Congress government and set up the India Against Corruption (IAC) group, which demanded a Jan Lokpal Bill in 2011. From being a common man who once launched a protest against corruption to now being a politician who was arrested in an alleged corruption case, Kejriwal has come a long way in Indian politics.
Let’s take a look at the journey of Arvind Kejriwal from protest to arrest.
- Born in Haryana’s Siwani on August 16, 1968, Kejriwal went on to become an engineer, a bureaucrat, an activist and then a politician.
- In 1985, he joined IIT-Kharagpur to study mechanical engineering, then joined Tata Steel in 1989. He resigned in 1992 and joined social service work with Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.
- In 1999, Kejriwal worked in the income tax department and launched the NGO Parivartan along with Manish Sisodia (who later went on to become his deputy in the Delhi government), aiming to address the people’s grievances relating to the public works, social welfare schemes and income tax.
- In February 2006, Kejriwal stepped down from the position of joint commissioner of income tax in the national capital.
- In 2010, Kejriwal launched a protest against the alleged corruption in the Commonwealth Games during the Congress rule.
- In 2011, Kejriwal became a part of the Anna Hazare movement against the alleged corruption during the then Congress government at the Centre, and set up India Against Corruption group, comprising Manish Sisodia, Atishi and others. The group then demanded a Jan Lokpal Bill and attracted the national media attention. Kejriwal was presented as the face of the protest when Anna and Kejriwal went on fast.
- In November 2012, Arvind Kejriwal floated his own political party. He had earlier vowed not to enter politics and said that he would continue working for the people from outside.
- Aam Aadmi Party contested the 2013 Delhi Assembly elections and won 28 out of the 70 seats. Kejriwal formed a minority government with the Congress support that lasted 49 days. Notably, he had also vowed earlier that he would neither ally with the Congress nor with the BJP to form the government.
- On February 14, 2014, resigned as the chief minister after his government failed to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly.
- In April 2014, Kejriwal featured in Time Magazine’s global list of 100 most influential people. Later that year, Kejriwal contested in the Lok Sabha elections against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and lost by over 3 lakh votes.
- In February 2015, Kejriwal returned to power in Delhi with a thumping and historic mandate of 67 out of 70 seats in the Assembly elections.
- In February 2017, AAP contested the Punjab Assembly elections, aiming to expand to other parts of the country, and won 20 seats.
- In December 2022, AAP won 134 of 250 wards, dislodging the ruling BJP from power in the Delhi civic polls.
Kejriwal’s fights with the Centre
Kejriwal, during his tenure as the Chief Minister, has had conflicts with the Centre over various issues. He has repeatedly accused the Centre of attempting to stall the progress of the Union Territory by interfering in the government’s business.
The power tussle between Kejriwal and the LG began in February 2014 when the Anti-corruption Branch (ACB) of the 49-day Kejriwal government filed an FIR, naming Mukesh Ambani and other including the then union ministers M Veerappa Moily and Murli Deora. Kejriwal had accused them of fixing gas prices arbitrarily.
After the AAP won the Delhi Assembly polls in February 2015, the Centre issued a notification on May 21 which limited ACB's power in acting against Delhi Police officials while also empowering the LG to appoint bureaucrats in the national capital.
The Kejriwal government moved the High Court on May 28 challenging the notification.
Fight during COVID
In 2021, during the COVID, the Delhi government and the Centre indulged in allegations and counter-allegations regarding the shortage of oxygen. A Supreme Court-appointed audit panel had in June 2021 said that the Delhi government exaggerated its oxygen requirement by four times in April and May. However, the then Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia rejected the claims and, in turn, accused the BJP of misleading people stating that the findings of the committee “do not exist”.
Another instance when the Centre and the Delhi government stood face-to-face was over the issue of Centre's ordinance on control of administrative services in the national capital last year. In a bid to garner support from the Opposition leaders, Kejriwal ran across the country, meeting several leaders asking their support in the Parliament.
Tussle over Centre's Delhi ordinance
The Centre had brought an ordinance on May 19 last year to cut short the powers of the Delhi government. The executive order was issued days after the Supreme Court gave the control of services in Delhi to the elected government, excluding those related to police, public order and land.
Delhi Excise Policy case
The Delhi LG ordered a CBI inquiry into the Excise Policy. Manish Sisodia was arrested in this case on February 26 last year by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the liquor policy case. That was the first high-profile arrest made in the case. Later, Sanjay Singh was arrested last year in the same case. Arvind Kejriwal became the latest and the most high profile leader to be arrested in the case. The CBI case is related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
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