The night Enforcement Directorate arrested Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal from his residence over Delhi liquor policy, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit was one of the first political leaders to have reached outside Kejriwal’s house at Civil Lines. All top Congress leaders condemned Kejriwal’s arrest while a joint delegation from the INDIA bloc met chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar against the Centre’s ‘misuse’ of central agencies. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is Kejriwal’s counsel as well. Despite the party’s stand and support to Kejriwal at the time of the ‘biggest crisis of his life’, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said Kejriwal should resign on morality grounds.

In a long X post, the Maharashtra Congress leader said when LK Advani, Madhavrao Scindia and Kamal Nath’s name came up in some corruption, they resigned from their posts. Lal Bahadur Shashtri resigned over a train accident, Sanjay Nirupam recounted adding that India has such a rich tradition. He also mentioned Hemant Soren’s resignation moments before he was arrested in January this year.

Kejriwal arrest: A bit of buzz, some anxiety… but largely business as usual in Delhi

“The court will decide the truth of Delhi’s liquor scam. But a chief minister has been accused and arrested but he is still clinging to the post. What kind of morality is this? A party which is just 11 years old is setting a precedence that is unethical,” Sanjay Nirupam wrote.

Arvind Kejriwal became the first chief minister of India to be arrested in a corruption case. His arrest has led to a major political slugfest and uncertainties over the governance in the national capital. Aam Aadmi Party affirmed that Kejriwal will remain the chief minister as Delhi’s public — in a campaign conducted a few months before his arrest — were in favour of Kejriwal running the government from jail.

Kejriwal is being probed for his role in an excise policy which landed AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh in jail. The Enforcement Directorate said Kejriwal was the kingpin of the scam and received crores as a kickback to give undue favour to liquor companies in Delhi.