After Kejriwal, Will Mamata Be the Next CM Behind Bars? BJP Warns Bengal Could See 'Similar Scenes to Delhi'

West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar on Friday said that the state could experience a situation similar to the national capital, alluding to the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP chief was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy.

“Last month, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested. Now, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested. It only shows that being a chief minister doesn’t grant you any sort of impunity if you are involved in corruption. Similar allegations of corruption have emerged in West Bengal in recent years. So, the state could also witness similar scenes like New Delhi,” Majumdar said.

The Trinamool Congress claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using government agencies to ‘terrorise’ the opposition.

“The BJP is feeling anxious about losing, so now they’re trying everything to stay in power, even if it’s not fair. The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal shows this. Also, here in Bengal, the BJP is using government agencies to settle scores in politics,” stated TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

Meanwhile, Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on the other hand, alleged that despite accusations of corruption against the TMC government, West Bengal will not witness similar incidents due to a “tacit understanding” between the BJP and the TMC.

“It is due to this tacit understanding that the TMC walked out of the opposition bloc INDIA in West Bengal and decided to contest alone,” he claimed.

On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised the BJP, condemning Kejriwal’s arrest as a “blatant assault on democracy.” She also announced that leaders from the opposition bloc INDIA would meet the Election Commission to “strongly object” to the pre-election arrests of opposition leaders.

“I vehemently condemn the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the sitting elected Chief Minister of Delhi elected by the people. I have personally reached out to Smt Sunita Kejriwal to extend my unwavering support and solidarity. It’s outrageous that while elected opposition CMs are being deliberately targeted and arrested while individuals accused under CBI/ED investigations are allowed to continue their malpractices with impunity, especially after aligning with the BJP. This is a blatant assault on democracy,” Banerjee wrote in a social media post on X.

“Today, our INDIA alliance will meet the EC to express our strong objection to the deliberate targeting and arrests of opposition leaders, particularly during the MCC period. To this end, I have designated @derekobrienmp and @MdNadimulHaque6 to represent @AITCofficial in this crucial meeting with the Election Commission,” she added.