AAP Protests and Solidarity: Kejriwal's Detention and Defiant Stand

Protesting over their leader Arvind Kejriwal's incarceration, Aam Aadmi Party members flocked to the streets on Friday in many state capitals. Not only did AAP members participate in this rally, but Congress activists from Kerala and Delhi as well as the DMK from Tamil Nadu participated as well.

Kejriwal is still obstinate and holding the position of Chief Minister of Delhi, according to his party's pledge to "govern from Tihar (jail)." His detention was given to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by a Delhi court till March 28.

In retaliation, the AAP and its supporters have organized more demonstrations, which will begin on Saturday. They have vowed to surround the Prime Minister's house on Tuesday and have chosen not to celebrate Holi.

Earlier on Friday, when they tried to march towards the BJP national headquarters, a number of AAP leaders, including Punjab minister Harjot Bains and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, were arrested by the police. Within the confines of the law, Atishi and Bharadwaj are now in charge of managing the government's operations in Kejriwal's absence.

The AAP leadership stressed a nonviolent approach to protesting, ordering its members not to participate in violent activities like forcing businesses to close or obstructing traffic on highways or trains. Such strategies, in their opinion, would only backfire.

Delhi maintained its composure in the face of Kejriwal's detention, indicating the AAP's comprehension of the dynamics of the city and its inclination toward winning people over rather than using force.

Unexpected friends, such as former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Congress politician Sandeep Dikshit, offered assistance to the AAP's attempts to mobilize its reluctant allies. Even Kejriwal's former adversary, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, denounced his apprehension and offered her family support.

An AAP team contacted the Election Commission of India to express disapproval of Kejriwal's and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren's arrests, claiming that political motivations were driving them, despite the poll body's lack of authority over criminal investigations.

Sandeep Pathak, a former professor at IIT Delhi and Rajya Sabha MP, has become the de facto head of the AAP while Kejriwal is detained. He has expressed faith in the party's capacity to rule even while incarcerated.

The ED claimed in court that Kejriwal was the main player in a liquor policy fraud and that the AAP's 2022 Goa election campaign was financed by bribery from liquor cartels. Kejriwal's attorneys refuted these claims, highlighting the arrest's broader democratic ramifications.

Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann, meanwhile, denounced the government's policies and compared them to those used by autocrats like as Vladimir Putin. He highlighted the predicament of Kejriwal's wife and children while criticizing the limitations placed on the family.

As part of their continuous battle to preserve the country, AAP Delhi president Gopal Rai announced plans for more rallies, including burning Prime Minister effigies on March 24 and gathering outside the PM's house on March 26.