Why BJP is confident of containing any fallout from Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

Kejriwal was arrested hours after the Delhi High Court refused him interim protection from “coercive action” in the Delhi excise policy case, over which he had skipped multiple summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The BJP will be underlining the AAP chief’s defiance of the ED summons to make its case, as the Opposition unites in support of Kejriwal following his arrest.

A senior BJP leader said: “One of the main fallouts of the arrest would be the impairing of AAP, with Kejriwal being its face and voice mobilising crowds and resources. He is also the main brain and pillar of the party. Without Kejriwal, the AAP will not be in a position to make any impact in the campaign scene.”

Another party leader added: “This will also take away one of INDIA bloc’s star campaigners, as well as reinforce our message of it being a coalition of the corrupt.” And there is no bigger catch than Kejriwal on this front, given the AAP’s rise to power as an anti-corruption crusader.

A source said that many BJP cadres were questioning the party over why the Modi government was playing safe when it came to Kejriwal, saying it sent the message that it was apprehensive of acting against him due to his “popularity”. “The arrest has lifted the morale of our cadre and our party ecosystem as regards the leadership’s uncompromising stance against corruption.”

The senior BJP leader quoted above said that even with the Congress and AAP coming together, the BJP did not expect a major impact of Kejriwal’s arrest in Delhi. While the AAP has now had two sweeping back-to-back victories in the Delhi Assembly polls, the BJP had won all seven of its Lok Sabha seats in 2019 with over 50% of the votes.

As part of INDIA, the AAP and Congress have announced seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh and Goa.

According to BJP sources, recent internal surveys and assessments conducted by the party in and around Delhi tried to determine, among other things, voters’ sentiments regarding such action against Kejriwal, which comes more than a year after his Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was held in the same case and continues behind bars. Another senior AAP leader, Sanjay Singh, is also in jail in the same case.

According to sources, the surveys indicated that the Opposition would not be able to mobilise people against the arrest. “The liquor policy charges have stuck and hurt Kejriwal’s image,” a source said, arguing that if there was “no evidence”, Sisodia would have been out on bail.

Plus, as a Delhi BJP leader pointed out, the Capital votes only in the sixth phase, or on May 25 – more than two months from now. “By then Kejriwal’s absence would have weakened the AAP and affected its ability to fight.”

BJP leaders admitted that Kejriwal posed a threat because of the continuing goodwill for his government’s schemes, such as free power and water, plus its health and education agenda – matching the Modi government’s welfare plank.

Former AAP leader Anand Kumar, who was removed from the party several years ago, also pointed to this, saying his schemes might stand Kejriwal in good stead. “I believe the arrest is related more to the support offered by Kejriwal to non-BJP endeavours, particularly the INDIA alliance,” Kumar told The Indian Express, also pointing to the arrest’s timing, coinciding with the release of the full data on electoral bonds.

The ED is investigating charges that an excise policy implemented by the Kejriwal government in Delhi in 2022, which ended its control over sale of liquor in the Capital, gave undue advantages to private retailers. The policy was subsequently withdrawn.

(With inputs from Vikas Pathak)