AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi CM Atishi engrossed in a discussion at the launch of the party’s outreach programme for the upcoming Assembly poll in New Delhi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched a public outreach programme under which party workers will go door to door with a copy of a letter written by him explaining why he and other leaders were put in jail.
He also urged people to re-elect him as the Chief Minister in the Assembly poll scheduled for February next year, claiming that if the BJP comes to power, it will stop the AAP government’s various welfare initiatives, especially those linked to electricity and water.
Mr. Kejriwal had quit as the Chief Minister on September 17 after the Supreme Court granted him conditional bail in cases linked to the now-withdrawn Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.
The top court had barred him from visiting his office and signing official files unless it was necessary to seek approval from the Delhi Lieutenant-Governor.
‘Same old rhetoric’
Hitting back, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva alleged that it is unfortunate that Mr. Kejriwal’s politics is “based entirely on deceit” and the letter contains the same old rhetoric that he has been repeating since the Lok Sabha election held earlier this year.
He said time had come for Mr. Kejriwal to understand that people of Delhi have become aware that instead of fostering development in the past 10 years, AAP has “pushed the city into deterioration”.
Earlier in the day, addressing AAP workers, Mr. Kejriwal said, “After getting out of jail, I have been meeting a lot of people. Why did I go to jail? Why was I arrested? People of Delhi have a lot of questions in their minds.”
“I’ve written a letter addressed to them. AAP workers will take this letter door to door till October 29 so that people can get answers to their questions,” he added.
‘Jailed for work’
Mr. Kejriwal claimed that he never indulged in corruption and was arrested because of his work for Delhi. “I went to jail just for you. If I hadn’t done all this work for you, they would not have sent me to jail. I, Manish [Sisodia], and Satyendar [Jain] went to jail for you. Only you can safeguard the facilities that you are getting with the power of your vote,” he said.
He alleged that the BJP has a plan in place to reverse whatever the AAP government has achieved till now.
“Their first step will be to end free power. They don’t provide it in Gujarat, U.P., or any of the States ruled by them, and they won’t give it here either. Their agenda is to discontinue the very services that have benefited you,” he said, accusing the BJP of conspiring to stall the supply of medicines and free tests in hospitals.
Published – October 17, 2024 01:03 am IST