Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram NDA candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest was a normal measure. Kejriwal has been repeatedly dismissing the summons of ED. The present action of ED is for not cooperating with ED’s investigation. Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that this law applies to the Kerala Chief Minister as well.
“Arvind Kejriwal himself said that he is not interested in cooperating with ED’s investigation. That is why he was arrested. If you break the law, you will suffer the consequences regardless of whether you are a small leader or a big leader,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar
AAP party leaders claim that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would continue governing from jail, but the fact is that governance from within a jail is impractical. Earlier, Delhi ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Kumar Jain had to step down upon their arrests. Prison regulations limit interaction of the inmates with the outside world. To remain in governance while being in jail will lead to a constitutional crisis. The Madras High Court had questioned Senthil Balaji continuing as a minister in Tamil Nadu while he was in jail.
Under Article 239 AA of the Constitution, the Lt. Governor can recommend President’s rule in Delhi if he is convinced that there is an administrative crisis. Such a development would severely impact the AAP, given its majority in the assembly. Moreover, with second-tier leaders also being in jail, the question of leadership and coordination for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections—especially as the party contests in alliance for the first time since its inception—poses a huge challenge.
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