Sunita Kejriwal, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife called him a “lion” and said that he “cannot be kept in jail for long”. She was addressing the ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi when she made these remarks. The rally was called by top leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc against the AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) supremo by the Enforcement Directorate.
The Chief Minister was arrested on 21st March regarding a case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy in connection to money laundering.
Under the Enforcement Directorate, the Delhi court has extended his custody until April 1st for further interrogation.
PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray addressed the Opposition rally before Sunita Kejriwal. The Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, NCP (SCP) Chief Sharad Pawar, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren, and others were also present at the rally.
On behalf of Arvind Kejriwal, Sunita brings a message from jail to the rally, “But before reading this message, I would like to ask you something. Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, put my husband in jail. Did the Prime Minister do the right thing? Do you believe that Kejriwal is a true patriot and honest person?” She added further, “These BJP people are saying that Kejriwal is in jail, he should resign. Should he resign? Your Kejriwal is a lion, they will not be able to keep him in jail for long.”
According to the AAP national convenor, Sunita Kejriwal said, “I am not asking for votes today. I invite 140 crore Indians to make a new India. India is a great nation with thousands of years-old civilisation. I think about Mother India from inside the jail, and she is in pain. Let’s make a new India.”
“Given an opportunity, we will build a new India,” says Arvind Kejriwal’s message further.
Sunita Kejriwal read out her husband’s message, “I present six guarantees on behalf of the INDIA Alliance. First, there will be no power cuts in the whole country. Second, electricity would be free for poor people. Third, we will build government schools in every village. Fourth, we will build Mohalla Clinics in every village. We will make a multi-specialty government hospital in every district. Everyone would get free treatment.”
“Fifth, farmers would be given the correct price for the crops. Sixth, the people of Delhi have faced injustice for 75 years. We will give statehood to Delhi. We will complete these six guarantees in five years. I have done all the planning from where the money for these guarantees will come. My resolve has become even stronger in jail, I will soon come out.”
Sunita Kejriwal added that “this dictatorship will end” and she thanked everyone for “giving massive support to my husband.”
Although with spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP has criticised the opposition rally. Trivedi said, “In order to hide their old crimes, all these parties… are using Ramlila Maidan to hide their old crimes of corruption.”
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, “Big gang of corruptors will be standing at Ramlila Maidan and weeping over the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal,” to the ANI news agency.
He further added, “This scene will be happening at the same place where Arvind Kejriwal once stood and called all these people corruptors and demanded their arrest.”
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also commented on the rally and said, “There is no restriction on holding a rally. But who is gathering? Those who are drenched in corruption, those who are jailed for looting public money. The ones who wore a cloak of honesty and said that they would do a new kind of politics are now speaking of running the government from jail.”