The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is on interim bail until June 1 and must surrender on June 2 in the excise policy case, declared his readiness to go to jail repeatedly to “save” the country. Speaking to PTI Videos on Wednesday, Kejriwal likened his situation to that of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, stating, “I am a follower of Bhagat Singh. If I have to go to jail 100 times to save the country, I will go.”
Kejriwal, the AAP convener, is out on interim bail following a Supreme Court order. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
During election campaigns in Punjab, Kejriwal criticized the BJP, predicting that it would secure less than 200 seats while the INDIA bloc would surpass 300 seats in the general election results on June 4. He accused the BJP-led Centre of falsely implicating him in corruption, noting, “They (BJP) say Kejriwal indulged in corruption…they don’t have even one proof. People are saying if Kejriwal is corrupt, then no one is honest in this world.”
Kejriwal dismissed the allegations of a Rs 100 crore theft, questioning the absence of evidence after extensive raids. He claimed, “PM accepted that they don’t have any proof, there is no recovery and that is because Kejriwal is an experienced thief.”
He argued that his arrest was due to his achievements in Delhi and Punjab, such as providing free power and building quality hospitals and clinics, which he claimed PM Modi could not replicate. Kejriwal accused the BJP of attempting to silence him and undermine his work through “dictatorship and goondagardi.”
Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comment that the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab wouldn’t last long post-BJP victory, Kejriwal called it a threat to Punjab’s electorate. He emphasized AAP’s strong majority in Punjab’s assembly and vowed that the state’s people would respond on June 4.
Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP’s push for 400 seats in Parliament was a move to end reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs. He criticized PM Modi for focusing on opposition abuse rather than addressing inflation and unemployment, suggesting Modi was out of touch with people’s problems.
Kejriwal mentioned his health concerns, noting significant weight loss and high ketone levels in urine during his jail time, which doctors advised needed proper examination. Despite this, he reaffirmed his commitment to his cause, stating, “I am proud that I am going to jail to save my country.”
Polling for all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place in the seventh and last phase of the general elections on June 1. The AAP and Congress, both part of the opposition INDIA bloc, are contesting separately in Punjab.