New Delhi: Opposition leaders on Friday welcomed the interim bail granted to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Supreme Court.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the development could lead to a resounding win for 'democratic forces' in the Lok Sabha polls. "It is a strong reminder that no authoritarian regime can prevail long by suppressing dissent," Vijayan posted on X, also called Twitter.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said Kejriwal's fortifies the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc, the alliance of 37 opposition parties. "This victory against injustice strengthens our democracy," Stalin said.
Congress leader Pawan Khera hoped former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren also gets due justice.
"We welcome the intervention by the Supreme Court in granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal...We also hope that the prime minister gets enough time after June 4, when he becomes the former prime minister of India, to introspect sitting in Sabarmati Ashram the kind of politics he has indulged in," he said.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee also welcomed the Supreme Court order, saying "I am very happy to see that Shri Arvind Kejriwal has got interim bail. It will be very helpful in the context of the current elections."
Sharad Pawar, who heads the NCP (SP), said the country remains steadfast in the pursuit of democracy. "I welcome the interim bail order granted to the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal by the SC. India remains steadfast in the pursuit of democracy," Pawar wrote on X.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi called it a "big win" for Kejriwal. "And big win for Arvind Kejriwal ji as SC steps in to grant him interim bail. The bid to silence the opposition by BJP is backfiring on them. We Won't be silenced, won't bend, won't give in come what may. Bharat is watching, India is winning! Jai Hind!" she wrote on X.
Another Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said justice and relief to Kejriwal against the "dictatorial regime" in the country was a huge sign of winds of change.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said they will now fight the battle to save democracy with more intensity.
In a post on X, he said, "Thanks to the Supreme Court... now we will fight the battle to save democracy with more intensity... Arvind Kejriwal is not a person but a thought...and now will take this thought forward with greater momentum."
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The Delhi chief minister was arrested in a case relating to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.
(With PTI inputs)