THE arrest of the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, was unprecedented. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed he was arrested after he had resigned.
This is not the entire truth. In fact, the ED had already decided to arrest him while he was at his residence. But the formal arrest took place within the precincts of the Raj Bhawan, where Soren had gone to hand over his resignation claiming that his party still enjoyed the confidence of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.
Arvind Kejriwal, however, was arrested while he was chief minister and continues to be so despite the special court remanding him to the ED's custody for six days. Every leader of the opposition has been facing the threat of arrest under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Often in the past, this government has used both the Central Bureau of Investighation (CBI) and the ED for either prosecuting or threatening prosecution to trigger defections in order to destabilise elected governments in opposition-ruled states.
This is the first time in the history of India that the investigating machinery and political establishment are working in tandem on such a large scale. We may have seen isolated instances prior to 2014 of a similar alignment of purpose with the CBI, but never before in such an insidious fashion.
This story is from the March 25, 2024 edition of The Morning Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 25, 2024 edition of The Morning Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Rahul vows ₹1L to poor, raise in NREGA wages
CONGRESS leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday promised to credit 1 lakh every year to the bank accounts of the poor households. He also promised to increase MGNREGA wages up to ₹400 and double the income of ASHA and and anganwadi workers, if the INDIA bloc is voted to power.
PM takes a jibe at Lalu's Muslim quota remark
Modi says religion-based quota an insult to Ambedkar; RJD chief later makes U-turn
₹28 cr assets, Manoj Tiwari richest in poll fray
DELHI BJP's candidate from North East Delhi, Manoj Tiwari (53), is the richest among the prominent Lok Sabha poll candidates in Delhi with assets worth Rs 28.05 crore, according to nomination papers filed by the nominees.
Water woes and traffic snarls key issues in Rajendra Nagar
NESTLED in the heart of Delhi, Rajendra Nagar emerged as a sanctuary for Punjabi refugees from Pakistan postpartition.
‘Delhi should fight for full UT status. It will reduce tussles’
United Resident Joint Action Force URJA) president Atul Goyal says the constant fight over powers between Delhi and Centre is affecting development
Telangana drenched after sweltering heat spell, experiences hailstorm
AFTER braving the sweltering heat for several days, people breathed a sigh of relief after heavy rains lashed the city late on Tuesday evening, with several parts even experiencing hailstorm.
16 crorepati candidates in race from Bhubaneswar
AROUND 28 per cent candidates in the electoral race in the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat and three Assembly segments of the city, are crorepatis.
BJP unleashes blitzkrieg by top party leaders to breach BJD fort in Odisha
HAVING failed to make a significant headway in the form of electoral gains in Odisha in the last two occasions despite the Modi wave sweeping the country, the BJP is not leaving anything to chance in its efforts to breach the BJD citadel this time.
Jagan seeks PM's stand on special status, privatisation
BV Demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a clear stand on granting Special Category Status (SCS) to the state and privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy questioned the PM's change of heart towards TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and sought to know the basis on which the three parties had forged an alliance.
Vet student denied medical aid: CBI
Sidharthan J S from Kerala university was brutally assaulted, reveals final CBI report
