New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – who is out of Tihar Jail on interim bail – told people in a roadshow today that he would not have to return to jail if they vote for him. “I have to go back to jail after 20 days. If I choose Jadu (AAP symbol), I won’t have to go back to jail,” the chief minister said.
Mr. Kejriwal’s return to the heat and dust of campaigning after 50 days in jail has re-energized the AAP, which has been fighting fires on multiple fronts. Senior party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said it would also be a game-changer for the Indian bloc.
Fresh out of prison, the Prime Minister indulged in campaigning, holding a roadshow in Moti Nagar in support of Somnath Bharti, the party’s candidate for the New Delhi post. There, he told the audience that his absence would reflect on the work that had been done for the people.
Accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann, the Prime Minister said: “If you go back to jail, the BJP will stop your work, save electricity, downgrade schools, close hospitals and mohalla clinics.” “They sent me to jail because I worked for you. The BJP does not want the work of the people of Delhi to be done.”
Delhi votes for its seven Lok Sabha seats on May 25.
The AAP president, who was arrested in the Delhi liquor policy case, has been released on interim bail till June 1, the day voting for the Lok Sabha elections ends. He must surrender on June 2.
The Supreme Court, which was hearing a challenge to Mr Kejriwal’s arrest, unexpectedly sought to hear his bail petition as well. While granting him bail, the judges said he was not a “habitual criminal” and pointed to the ongoing elections.
A bench of Justices Sanjeev Khanna and Dipankar Datta said: “There are elections and these are exceptional circumstances. He is not a habitual criminal. This is a matter of public interest.”
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