2024-06-02 07:11:19
NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is set to return to Tihar Jail on Sunday after spending more than three weeks on electioneering. He is scheduled to leave his residence at approximately 3pm and will be accompanied by his supporters. During his release from jail on interim bail from May 11 to May 30, Kejriwal participated in 67 roadshows, rallies, public gatherings, and gave 30 interviews to various media outlets.
On Saturday morning, the Aam Aadmi Party’s political affairs committee held a meeting attended by senior members such as Atishi, Raghav Chadha, Durgesh Pathak and Sanjay Singh.Insiders revealed that CM advised the senior party functionaries to “remain together as BJP will try even more to crush the party”.
Sources indicated AAP has informed its top functionaries that Kejriwal will continue to serve as CM, while Sunita Kejriwal will once again assume the role of intermediary between them and the party national convener. Since Kejriwal’s imprisonment, Sunita Kejriwal’s involvement in the party has increased as she acts as a bridge between her husband and the party.
A senior party member said, “Kejriwalji will continue to be CM. We are waiting for the poll results. If INDIA wins then, we do not have to worry as investigation agencies will not continue to be misused. But if BJP wins, CM will continue to be Kejriwal because it is people of Delhi who want him there.”
AAP’s rivals, functionaries of BJP, countered that after the Lok Sabha election results, they would press for Kejriwal’s resignation harder on the ground that the state govt could not function from jail. “There is a water crisis and development projects are not being executed. So, we will press for Kejriwal’s resignation because the people of Delhi are suffering,” said a BJP functionary. He added that the party would also reach out to LG on the prospect of imposing President’s rule in Delhi.
The Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal a 21-day interim bail on May 10 to enable him to campaign during the Lok Sabha polls. It had directed him to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll concludes. Kejriwal used his freedom to campaign extensively in Delhi and Punjab.
Sources in AAP said that the party would approach the courts to ensure that Kejriwal was provided with the necessary facilities to run the govt from prison. Kejriwal had earlier expressed uncertainty about the duration of his jail term, asserting that his “spirits are high” as he returned to prison to “save the country from dictatorship”.
CM had sought a seven-day extension to undergo health tests as necessitated by weight loss and the presence of high levels of ketones in his urine. But with the courts not granting relaxation, he will have to surrender on Sunday. “When I went to jail, my weight was 70kg. Today, it is 64 kg,” he said in a digital address to Delhiites. “Even after being released from jail, I am not putting on weight. Doctors say that this can be a sign of some serious disease in the body. Many tests need to be done,” he had said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said Kejriwal’s claim of being ill was false as he has shown no loss of vigour while campaigning non-stop. “If Kejriwal has any respect for the law and public sentiment, then he should stop playing his sickness drama and go back to jail tomorrow after campaigning as ordered by the Supreme Court in its bail order,” said Sachdeva.