Out Of Jail, Arvind Kejriwal Begins Campaign
Arvind Kejriwal addresses his first press conference after getting out of jail
New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in his first press conference since his release from jail yesterday went straight for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
“They want to crush us, but the Aam Aadmi Party is an idea. It will keep growing the more they try to finish us,” Mr Kejriwal said today.
He singled out PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as engineers behind a power takeover within the BJP, referring to how the BJP changes chief ministers in many states before assembly elections to “clip their wings”.
“If the BJP comes to power again, the first thing PM Modi will do is to change Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,” Mr Kejriwal said.
“There is a pattern to the BJP’s attacks – jail all chief ministers in Opposition-ruled states and overthrow the government,” said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, who did not resign as Chief Minister when he was arrested and jailed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor policy case.
He pointed at how Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was also “hounded” by central agencies, allegedly on the behest of the central government.
“Our AAP is a small party, present in two states. But the Prime Minister left no stone unturned to crush our party and sent four leaders to jail at the same time. If four top leaders of big parties go to jail, the party ends,” Mr Kejriwal said.
“By arresting me, they have given a message that if Kejriwal is arrested then they will arrest anyone. The name of this mission is ‘One Nation, One Leader’,” he said, alluding to the BJP’s push for the ‘one nation, one election’ system.
The Supreme Court yesterday granted interim bail to Mr Kejriwal to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. He cannot go to his office, sign official documents, or visit the Delhi secretariat. He has to take permission from the Lieutenant Governor for any urgent documents that need to be signed.
The Supreme Court said the Lok Sabha elections has prompted the consideration of interim bail as at this stage, it is not possible for the court to either conclude the arguments or pronounce the verdict on his petition challenging his arrest by the ED.
