The AAP vs BJP political row is set to explode (again) after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Friday morning that he plans to skip a fifth summons from the Enforcement Directorate, leaving himself open to arrest. The AAP boss was called for questioning over the liquor policy case, but will instead protest Tuesday’s Chandigarh mayoral election, which the BJP won under contentious circumstances.

Security in and around the Chief Minister’s residence, and the AAP and BJP HQs, has been tightened in anticipation of protests and counter-protests, which will see Mr Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, take to national capital’s streets together. So far 25 AAP workers have been detained at the Delhi-Punjab-Haryana border, with visuals from news agency ANI showing barricades and police checking cars coming into the national capital. There are also reports of detentions in other areas.

Delhi Police has detained 25 AAP workers from Singhu border so far. All of them are the party workers from Punjab and Haryana. Police suspect that they were going to take part in the party’s protest today. A few other workers have been stopped. Those who have been detained at the… https://t.co/1KIvdD5afG

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2024

Visuals earlier today showed massive traffic jams on major roads around the AAP office on the city’s Deen Dayal Upadhyay Road. Over a thousand police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan, said, “We are all set to ensure no law-and-order situation arises, and everything goes smoothly. We have taken all necessary measures…”

AAP, BJP Squabble On X

As Delhi Police preps for what could be a violent Friday, the two parties’ leaders have already exchanged opening barbs on X (formerly Twitter).

Delhi Education Minister Atishi this morning claimed “fraud” had been committed openly in the Chandigarh election and taunted the BJP for being “so scared” of her party.

“Heavy barricades all across Delhi, buses full of volunteers being detained, hundreds of para-military forces outside AAP office – why is BJP so scared of a protest on Chandigarh mayor elections?”

पहले चंडीगढ़ मेयर चुनाव में वोट चोरी किए।

अब इसके ख़िलाफ़ शांतिपूर्ण प्रदर्शन करने आ रही जनता को जगह जगह दिल्ली भर में रोका जा रहा है https://t.co/PsZpGAcNS8

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 2, 2024

Mr Kejriwal re-posted her tweet and claimed votes (in that poll) had been “stolen”. “Now people coming to protest peacefully against this are being stopped at various places across Delhi,” he said.

Saurabh Bharadwaj, the Health Minister, also accused the BJP of committing fraud.

“The nation knows how BJP committed fraud in Chandigarh. Ahead of this protest, our MLAs, councillors and party workers are being detained. Is BJP so scared of Arvind Kejriwal…?”

#WATCH | On AAP’s protest against BJP today, Delhi minister & AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj says, ” The nation knows how the BJP committed fraud in Chandigarh mayoral polls. Arvind Kejriwal & Bhagwant Mann will hold a peaceful protest at the BJP office today. Ahead of this… pic.twitter.com/6SAEtK3KaC

— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2024

The party’s primary handle has also been attacking the BJP; a photograph of AAP councillor Promila Gupta sitting at home with Delhi Police personnel was shared with a claim “Modi Police” had detained her. “What is the BJP afraid of? A peaceful demonstration?” the party wrote.

The BJP has been quick to respond, with national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posting a lengthy video message attacking Mr Kejriwal for continuing to play the “victimhood” card.

“Arvind Kejriwal… if there is nothing to hide then why are you not presenting yourself before the ED and other agencies? You are the same Kejriwal who, under Anna Hazare’s tutelage, said first there should be resignation, then investigation. But today you refuse to cooperate with investigation.”

Mr Poonawalla also slammed the INDIA opposition bloc, of which Mr Kejriwal’s AAP is a member, declaring “the only thing that binds them is commission and corruption, not mission or vision.”

Delhi BJP leader Harish Khurana echoed that sentiment.

“Once again Kejriwal has skipped summons. This is the fifth time. Kejriwal is calling it unlawful so the question is why he hasn’t gone to court and got it quashed. It is a tactic to show himself helpless…”

Chandigarh Mayoral Polls Fallout

The AAP ripped into the BJP this week after the latter’s surprise win in the Chandigarh mayoral race. The AAP-Congress alliance – under the INDIA umbrella, its first electoral foray – had the numbers but fell short by four votes after eight – from Mr Kejriwal’s party – were “invalidated” for unspecified reasons.

READ | Arvind Kejriwal’s “Like Trump” Warning After AAP, Congress’ Poll Loss

Speaking to reporters after the results, Mr Kejriwal drew parallels to former United States President Donald Trump – who contested the transfer of power after he lost the 2020 election, claiming his rivals had rigged votes.

In addition to today’s protests, the AAP and Congress have approached the Supreme Court. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi mentioned the matter, saying the Returning Officer had been “caught on video smudging the ballots”, to which Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said, “It will be listed.”

Delhi Liquor Policy Case

The AAP has been vociferous in its support of Mr Kejriwal on the liquor policy case front, with senior leaders accusing the BJP of manipulating central agencies to target him. The AAP has repeatedly claimed the BJP’s plan is to arrest Mr Kejriwal just before the April/May Lok Sabha election.

Mr Kejriwal was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in April, but has not yet been made an accused, by either agency. If he is arrested today, he becomes the first sitting Chief Minister to be taken into custody. Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren avoided that unwanted distinction Wednesday night.

READ | Hemant Soren Sent To Jail For A Day, Probe Agency Custody Decision Today

Three AAP leaders, all former ministers, have been arrested so far. Two – former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh – were arrested in the liquor policy case, while the third – former Health Minister Satyendra Jain – was arrested in an unrelated case.

All three remain behind bars.

The Delhi liquor case refers to allegations the AAP government’s revamped alcohol sales policy of 2022 allowed it to receive crores in kickbacks from cartels, and that this money was channelled into funding election expenses in Goa and other states.

NDTV Explains | What Is Delhi Liquor Policy Case Linked To Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP

The AAP has refuted all charges. The Delhi government reported a 27 per cent increase in income from the policy and generated Rs 8,900 crore in revenue. 

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

The Supreme Court today dismissed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges.

“We are not interfering, go to the High Court,” the Supreme Court said.

Hemant Soren was arrested late Wednesday night. He has been sent to judicial custody for one day, with a definitive ruling on the central agency’s request for 10-day custody expected today.

In his petition, Hemant Soren contended before the Supreme Court that the agency had “abused its power and acted in a malafide manner to destabilise a democratically-elected state government”.

He also called his arrest “illegal and without jurisdiction” “The ED is brazenly acting under the (diktats) of the central government and hounding the petitioner to destabilise a democratically-elected government headed by the petitioner,” he said.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Hemant Soren is involved in a Rs 600-crore land scam and the laundering of its proceeds.

Meanwhile, Champai Soren, veteran leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, will take oath today as the next Chief Minister of Jharkhand today.

Champai Soren met Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan in Ranchi yesterday and urged him to invite him to form the next state government. “We have submitted the report with 43 MLAs in our support. We expect the number will reach 46-47. Our ‘gathbandhan’, or alliance, is very strong,” Champai Soren said after meeting the Governor.

Sources said the Governor was also shown a 49-second roll-call video of all MLAs backing Mr Soren, who is a senior member of the JMM and a seven-time MLA.

Superstar Vijay has launched a political party in Tamil Nadu days after leaders of the Tamizha Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) appointed him the party chief. Vijay is likely to enter the electoral battlefield ahead of the assembly election due in Tamil Nadu in 2026. “Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam” would loosely translate to “Tamil Nadu Victory Party.”

Vijay said his party will not contest the Lok Sabha election. The TVK will also not support anyone, as decided in its recently held general council and executive council meetings, he said.

“I have decided to complete the film I have already committed to, without affecting the party work and completely involve myself in the politics of public service. I consider this as my gratitude towards the people of Tamil Nadu,” Vijay said, news agency PTI reported.

The announcement prompted spontaneous celebrations from his fans in the state known for stars graduating from cinema to politics, including the late veterans MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

Seen as the next Rajinikanth of Tamil cinema, Vijay – who has acted in 68 films – has been nurturing political ambitions for over a decade. He has been involving his fan clubs in a range of charity and welfare measures including free distribution of food, educational scholarships, libraries, evening tuition, and even legal help.

Recently, he organised a constituency-level programme to honour student toppers in public exams. He told the students he wants to “read about leaders like Ambedkar, Periyar, Kamaraj. Take what’s good and leave the rest.”

Vijay’s father is the celebrated film director Chandrasekhar. Vijay’s films have often touched sensitive and key public interest topics, and he has a cult following in the state. Some of Vijay’s films have also taken controversial stands in targeting governments over the years.