New Delhi : Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal were detained in Delhi on Saturday. Banerjee was detained along with several Trinamool Congress leaders during a protest near her South Avenue residence. The protest centres on allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls and demands Kumar’s resignation.
Earlier on Saturday, AAP alleged that Kejriwal’s residence had been placed under heavy security. Hindustan Times reported that Kejriwal had criticised the detention of CJP leaders and described the situation as “worse than the Emergency”. Several CJP leaders were also detained after arriving in Delhi. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, along with Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport. A senior police officer confirmed their detention.
Barricades, vehicle checks and other security measures were put in place around central Delhi and routes leading towards the protest site. Public transport was also affected by the security arrangements. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation restricted entry and exit at 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday, while interchange facilities remained available at the affected stations except New Delhi. The number was subsequently revised down from an earlier list of 57 stations.
West Bengal minister Agnimitra Paul on Saturday said the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed protest in Delhi was aimed at destabilising the country and stalling the development process.”What they are doing is against the nation. They are behaving in an anti-national manner. They (CJP) want to derail the development process envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on some pretext or the other,” Paul told reporters. She alleged that secessionist forces were aiding the Left and the CJP to destabilise the country.
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