Opposition parties slam Centre for Sanjay Singh's arrest

NEW DELHI: Several opposition parties on Wednesday slammed the government for the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh by ED and said it was an attempt by a "rattled BJP" to silence the voice of a strong and emerging leader.

While Congress was silent on the arrest, party leader Digvijaya Singh strongly condemned it and accused BJP of using ED as a political weapon against the opposition."Because Sanjay Singh speaks strongly in Rajya Sabha, he has been put behind bars in order to silence his voice," he said.
Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien said ED was not functional in BJP-governed states. " Strongly condemn the outrageous arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Arvind Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party and Sanjay Singh, stay strong," he said on X.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "Strongly condemn the outrageous arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh. ED under Modi routinely arrests political opponents on grounds of 'non-cooperation' for not accepting their fabricated statements. For the sake of India that is Bharat, Modi government must go," Yechury said on X.
CPI leader Binoy Viswam said, "Arrest of AAP leader Sanjay Singh is highly condemnable. Each passing day, the government tells the nation, how frantic they are. Series of arrests are proclamation of vindictiveness of a failed government against the opposition. INDIA will fight it politically and legally."
Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav said BJP leaders were scared and perturbed and that "they will take similar action here (in Bihar) as well". "Wherever the regional party is performing well, they are harassing the governments there," he said.
JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi added, "Opposition leaders are facing continuous pressure. Sanjay Singh is a strong voice from the opposition parties in Rajya Sabha, and this arrest is an attempt to silence him."
On Congress's silence, party sources said "nothing negative should be read into this as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had fought tooth and nail for Singh's reinstatement in Rajya Sabha following his suspension". It is learnt the Congress is in a quandary since the Delhi liquor scam was a complaint from the party's Delhi unit against the Kejriwal government.