Trinamool rages at right-to-food activist Jean Dreze's arrest, accuses BJP of being desperate

The Trinamool has strongly condemned the arrest of noted economist-activist and Right-to-food expert Jean Dreze in Jharkhand. It also claimed the arrest was a last-ditch effort by the BJP government before the elections.

Jean Dreze along with his two colleagues were arrested earlier on Thursday for allegedly holding an unauthorized public meeting regarding Right to Food.

Swaraj India's National President Yogendra Yadav (an ex-Aam Aadmi Party member) too expressed shock over Jean Dreze's sudden arrest. Yadav called him a 'saint-economist', potential Nobel winner, an Indian citizen and a pacifist working for the poor.  

All three detainees were released later.

On his release, Yadav immediately condemned the 'Chowkidars' and told them to take pride in Dreze.

In an interview to PTI in 2018, Jean Dreze had criticized the government, saying that it needed to shed its obsession with economic growth and should take a broader view about development.

"Economic growth can certainly contribute to development, in the sense of a widely shared improvement in the quality of life, but it does not go very far on its own", said Dreze.

Dreze is Belgian-born Indian citizen since 2002 and has served as a member in the former UPA government's National Advisory Council. He currently lives in Ranchi.