Arvind Kejriwal alleged that there is a "tacit arrangement" between the Congress and the BJP.
Highlights
- Gulab Singh, who is facing extortion charges, surrendered to police
- Arrest came hours before party chief Arvind Kejriwal's rally in state
- The 14th AAP legislator to be arrested, he blamed Centre
Aam Aadmi Party legislator Gulab Singh has been arrested by the Delhi Police in an alleged case of extortion. The legislator, who had allegedly taken money from a builder, had surrendered to the local police after which he was placed in the custody of Delhi Police.
The arrest came hours before party chief Arvind Kejriwal's rally in the state, where assembly elections will be held next year. Mr Singh - legislator from Delhi's Matiala who has been made the party's Gujarat in-charge -- was in Gujarat to campaign with Mr Kejriwal.
"I have been in Gujarat since September 6 and I was here when the FIR was filed on September 13," Mr Singh was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. "The police raided my office and got nothing incriminating. The Centre is directing arrest of AAP legislators but we are not going to bow and are ready for any consequences," he said.
Mr Kejriwal, who is on a four-day visit to Gujarat, told reporters that BJP president Amit Shah was trying to affect the rally. "I appeal to Amit Shah ji that this is not my rally but that of the public ... You see 13 MLAs have been arrested by Delhi Police on the direction from the BJP," PTI quoted him as saying.
"They have arrested 14 of our MLAs... Even today, Gulab Singh was arrested for fake charges but when it comes to Robert Vadra and other tainted Congress MLAs, nothing happens," he later said, alleging that there is a "tacit arrangement" between the Congress and the BJP.
Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who is attending the AAP rally in Surat, said Mr Singh's arrest was a turning point in Gujrat politics.In September, two property dealers, Deepak Sharma and Rinku Diwan, had alleged that two men working in Mr Singh's office -- Satish and Devinder - and an associate, Jagdish, were extorting money from them by threatening to get a building from where they were operating, demolished. The men have been arrested.