AAP Questions Legality of Flag Hoisting After Arrests of CJP Leaders

New Delhi, October 14 (Daily Kiran) : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has raised concerns over the recent arrests of Cockroach People’s Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka for hoisting the national flag at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. The party criticized the central government and Delhi police, calling the leaders’ five-day judicial custody a violation of democratic rights and freedom of expression.

AAP’s national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, took to social media platform X to question whether it has now become a crime to hoist the national flag in one’s own country. He described the arrests of Das and Ranka as absurd and expressed his outrage over the incident. Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh echoed these sentiments, asking if British colonial rule had returned, given that young people are being jailed for raising slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and hoisting the tricolor.

According to Singh, CJP leaders Das, Ranka, and Ajinkya Shinde were arrested for their actions at Jantar Mantar. He emphasized that the youth would continue to raise patriotic slogans and display the national flag, asserting that the government would not succeed in silencing their voices. Singh further alleged that the government is targeting those who question its policies and electoral processes, claiming that such actions cannot suppress public discourse on democratic issues.

Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP’s Delhi state president, likened the situation to the Emergency imposed in 1975, noting that similar issues of electoral fraud, student and labor movements, economic crises, and political instability were prevalent during that time. He argued that the judicial custody of Das and Ranka raises serious questions about the current political climate, warning that actions against protesting youth threaten democratic norms.

Bhardwaj expressed concerns about potential crackdowns on opposition leaders and critics of the government. He claimed that the government could undermine democratic activities without formally declaring an emergency. He also criticized the central government for its handling of the economy, foreign policy, and internal political dynamics within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He highlighted the ongoing economic and political instability in the country, referencing international tensions involving the U.S. and China. Bhardwaj questioned the Prime Minister’s responses to these issues and mentioned alleged rifts in leadership within the BJP. The AAP has framed the arrests of CJP leaders in the context of civil rights and democratic freedoms, calling for accountability from the government.