AAP Will Not Be Finished Even If I Am Hanged, Says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

CM Kejriwal stated that the strength to endure his time in Tihar came from reflecting on the stories of freedom fighters who endured years of imprisonment without any hope.

No tension over going back to Tihar, Says Delhi CM Kejriwal. ( Image Source :PTI )

New Delhi: AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose interim bail ends on June 1, said he felt no tension or anxiety over going back to Tihar Jail and considered incarceration as part of his struggle to save the country.

 

CM Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on May 10 to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

 

In an interview with PTI Videos, Delhi Chief Minister said that he read the 'Gita' twice during his nearly one-month stay in Tihar Jail before receiving interim bail, and claimed it changed his outlook.

 

 

CM Kejriwal stated that the strength to endure his time in Tihar came from reflecting on the stories of freedom fighters who endured years of imprisonment without any hope, while he consoled himself with the thought that he would be out of jail in a few months.

 

"I have no tension or anxiety. I will go back if I have to.. I consider it as part of my struggle to save the country, he said when asked about being sent back to Tihar".

 

He also alleged that in Tihar, he was under constant surveillance with CCTV cameras installed in his cell, monitored by 13 jail officials as well as the PMO. "Just imagine being watched for every movement of yours for 24 hours. It will make life difficult. There was no moment for me to be relaxed," he said.

'Would Do Anything To Save The Country': CM Kejriwal

CM Kejriwal further claimed that prison guards told him officials frequently questioned whether he was weeping or depressed. On the issue of electoral bonds, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated that if the I.N.D.I.A bloc comes to power, it will launch a probe into what he called the biggest scam in independent India's history.

 

"It's a bundle of thousands of scams. Almost every donation that the BJP has received is in return for some favor. It's quid pro quo—the donors got some tender or work, and it's also alleged that donors got bail," he charged.

 

Addressing accusations from the BJP that his party failed to check Khalistani elements in Punjab and received foreign funds, CM Kejriwal dismissed the charges as laughable. He recounted that, three days before the Punjab Assembly polls in February 2022, the prime minister alleged at a rally in Abohar that Kejriwal wanted to break the country to form Khalistan and become its prime minister. "Is it believable?" he questioned.

 

He said that the alleged liquor scam was like the Khalistan charge. "I laughed at all these", CM Kejriwal remarked.

 

Arvind Kejriwal said that AAP would not be finished even if he were hanged. "I say hang Kejriwal if you think the Aam Aadmi Party will be finished by hanging me. AAP is not just a party, it's a thought. If one Kejriwal dies, hundreds more will be born," he declared.

 

Addressing the issue of AAP being named as an accused in the excise policy scam being probed by the ED, CM Kejriwal claimed that soon all opposition parties will be implicated in various cases and their accounts frozen.

 

"All will have to come together to save the country. The party is not important; the country has to be saved," he said, emphasising the need for unity among opposition parties.

 

Regarding AAP's alliance with Congress for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, CM Kejriwal stated that his party would do anything to save the country.