'Modi ji himself may have to resign': Kejriwal's Hitler jibe over Delhi crackdown

NEW DELHI: A day after police cracked down on the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed protest in Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal turned his fire on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, invoking Hitler to attack the Centre’s handling of the demonstration and warning that the demand for resignation could extend beyond CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

In a video shared on X, Kejriwal accused the authorities of mistreating protesters, including young women, lawyers and journalists, during Saturday’s crackdown.

“The way Modi ji unleashed a reign of terror yesterday, he crossed all limits and left even Hitler behind. Videos of his atrocities are circulating everywhere. Young girls are being subjected to atrocities and mistreated. Lawyers were not spared, journalists were not spared — no one was spared. It should not come to a point where, along with Gyanesh Kumar, Modi ji himself is forced to resign this time,” Kejriwal said in a video message.

The CJP had called for a mass demonstration at Jantar Mantar, demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over SIR. However, an extensive security crackdown significantly curtailed the planned protest, with police detaining party leaders and supporters across the national capital.

CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were among those detained after arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Police also detained several opposition leaders, including Kejriwal, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.

The crackdown resulted in more than 7,000 detentions, triggering allegations of excessive restrictions on peaceful assembly and the treatment of protesters. The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre on a contempt plea alleging violation of its earlier directions and called for measures to prevent illegal detention of peaceful protesters and ensure normal transport services.