New Delhi: Senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have sharply criticized the arrest of party MLA Mehraj Malik from Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, under the Public Safety Act (PSA). They described the move as an example of dictatorship by the Modi government.
AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said Malik was jailed for demanding a hospital for his constituency. “Is demanding a hospital for the people such a grave crime that an elected MLA has been thrown in jail for it? Mehraj Malik is a lion of the Aam Aadmi Party. He will always fight as the voice of the people for their rights. Jail, threats, and conspiracies cannot intimidate any soldier of AAP,” Kejriwal posted on X.
Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on democracy. He accused the Union Home Ministry of misusing the police in Jammu and Kashmir to silence an elected representative. “The police of dictators have arrested AAP MLA Mehraj Malik in Jammu and Kashmir for demanding a hospital. This is the open dictatorship of the Modi-Shah government, blinded by hunger for power, where those who raise the people’s voice are treated as a threat. History shows that whenever dictatorship rises, resistance grows stronger,” Sisodia said.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh echoed the criticism. He wrote that Malik was punished for highlighting the needs of his constituency and accused the regime of running a dictatorship. Singh added that such actions would not weaken Malik’s resolve.
