"Real character of Kattar Imaandaar...": BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi targets Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, claiming that he became the first CM who did not think it appropriate to resign at the time of his arrest.

"The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal has raised some serious questions in Indian politics. He became the first Chief Minister who did not think it appropriate to relinquish power at the time of his arrest. In brief, he moved ahead of Lalu Prasad Yadav in such cases," he told ANI on Friday.

"It is such a party that claimed to bring a new politics of honesty to the country. The real character of those who call themselves 'Kattar Imaandaar' is such that even after the Delhi High Court rejected their petition (asking the probe agency to restrain from taking any coercive action against Arvind Kejriwal), they are not ready to relinquish power," he said.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case on Thursday night, in which two senior AAP leaders are already in judicial custody.

He was arrested after skipping nine summonses issued against him by the Enforcement Directorate and Delhi High Court, which refused to grant him relief from any coercive action by the probe agency.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy case 2022, which was later scrapped.

In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya lashed out at the Congress, an AAP partner in INDIA bloc, for coming out in support of Arvind Kejriwal, saying, "Congress is the mother of corruption... The language that their leader Rahul Gandhi is using will be decided in the Lok Sabha polls... People took it as their right to indulge in corruption."

"They keep accusing the central agencies as if they are working at the orders of the PMO or the HMO. The agencies are working neutrally.

Arvind Kejriwal was issued 9 summonses but he is has the pride of power. If the ED is wrong, then he should have gone to court...," the BJP leader said.

Arvind Kejriwal's arrest came days after the ED arrested K Kavitha, Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.

Earlier Manish Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning. On October 5, ED arrested Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.

Kejriwal's arrest also comes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held from April 19 to June 1, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission earlier in the month.