New Delhi, 15 April 2024;
Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal is being treated like a terrorist and has been denied facilities even given to hardcore criminals, said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after meeting the Aam Aadmi Party supremo in jail on Monday.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP’s National General Secretary (Organization) Dr. Sandeep Pathak met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in jail and their meeting lasted for about 30 minutes. During this time, Bhagwant Mann became emotional after seeing the ill-treatment being meted out to Arvind Kejriwal in jail.
Talking to the media after meeting Shri Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar jail, Bhagwant Mann said that CM Arvind Kejriwal is being treated like a terrorist in jail. We were made to talk on the phone through the glass, the glass was also very dirty, we could not even see each other’s faces clearly. Arvind Kejriwal’s only fault is that he built schools and hospitals and made electricity and water free for the people. That’s why he is not even getting the facilities that hardcore criminals get.
Dr Sandeep Pathak said that Arvind Kejriwal asked all the time about the wellbeing of the people of Delhi and Punjab. He asked whether people were getting the facilities of free electricity, water, medical treatment in hospitals and free bus ride for women.
Dr Sandeep Pathak said from next week, Shri Arvind Kejriwal will call two ministers in jail and review the progress of works of their departments.
In response to a reporter’s question about his meeting with Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said that we had a meeting of half an hour. We were given an appointment from 12 noon to 12:30 pm. As soon as I met him, I was deeply saddened to see that CM Arvind Kejriwal is not being given the same facilities that are given to even the hardcore criminals. What is the fault of Arvind Kejriwal? His only fault is that he built hospitals, mohalla clinics and schools for the people. Electricity and water were made free for all. You are treating him as if you have caught a big terrorist.
CM Bhagwant Mann said that according to the rules of the jail manual, face-to-face meeting can be allowed to the accused if he has good conduct in the jail. When P. Chidambaram was in jail and Sonia Gandhi used to come to meet him, she was made to sit face to face in a room. But today the meeting was arranged through the phone as if a big criminal was sitting. We don’t know why there is so much hostility towards us that we are being treated like terrorists. Why is Arvind Kejriwal being treated like this? Such behaviour with the opposition will cost them dearly. Arvind Kejriwal is a staunchly honest person, who started the politics of transparency and ended the politics of the BJP. Very sad to see such behaviour meted out to him today.
Bhagwant Mann told that when I asked Arvind Kejriwal about his condition, he said, don’t worry about me, tell me how is the condition of Punjab? Are good schools being built in Punjab, have arrangements to lift wheat crops in the markets been made, are Aam Aadmi clinics running well there, are people getting free electricity? Because we do politics of work and not for fame. I told him that Punjab is doing well. I have also visited Assam and Kurukshetra, will go to Gujarat on Tuesday. I will campaign in Delhi also. The Aam Aadmi Party is an ideology, you can arrest a person, Arvind Kejriwal, but how will you arrest an ideology?
Denying the allegation that there has been a defection in the Aam Aadmi Party after Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, CM Bhagwant Mann said that the Aam Aadmi Party is a disciplined party and it is completely together and united. We all stand with Arvind Kejriwal like a rock. Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail soon. When the results of Lok Sabha elections come on June 4, Aam Aadmi Party will emerge as a very big party. Overall, Arvind Kejriwal was worried about the country and the Constitution. Only if the Constitution will survive, the party will survive, he added.
On the question of 21 retired judges writing a letter to the Chief Justice accusing him of defaming the judiciary, CM Bhagwant Mann said that if you ask anyone about the situation in the country today, he will say that Arvind Kejriwal has been wrongfully put in jail. They want that there should be no opposition in the country. Only we should contest and win the elections. Then where is democracy left in the country? This has become a dictatorship. We are patriotic people. We will fight for the country. He has given us a message to go out and tell all the workers, MLAs and ministers not to worry about him, only to worry about the public.
Dr Sandeep Pathak said as soon as we went to meet Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann ji became emotional and his eyes filled with tears. When we asked Shri Arvind Kejriwal about his health, he said, stop worrying about me and tell me how is the public? He asked whether the public is getting the free electricity they were getting and whether there was any power cut? He asked whether the medicines which were being provided in the hospitals are still being provided, whether the women are still getting the facility of free bus service? He asked all these things, how is the condition of Delhi and how are the people? We told them one thing at a time.
Dr. Sandeep Pathak said Shri Arvind Kejriwal also told me that this message should be sent to all the MLAs that they should go door-to-door in their constituency and redress the grievances of the people. The chief minister said we have to serve people 10 times more than the way we were serving them till date.
Dr. Sandeep Pathak told that Arvind Kejriwal also said that he will come out soon. And after coming out, he will definitely fulfill the promise of giving Rs 1000 per month to the women for which budget provision has already been made. All the time he kept asking about the people of Delhi, how are they, whether anyone is facing any problem. He said that wherever he lives, his life has been full of struggle, and he will continue to struggle in future also.
