New Delhi: In her first political speech delivered before hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters on Sunday, jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita asserted that he can’t be kept in custody forever.
“The people of India stand with Arvind Kejriwal. He can’t be kept in jail forever,” Sunita said from INDIA bloc’s ‘Save Democracy’ rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Sunita has been posting video messages sitting in her husband’s chair since Arvind Kejriwal was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate 10 days ago.
But this was the first time she made an appearance in a political arena, sharing the stage with top leaders of major Opposition parties as they showed solidarity with Kejriwal and opposed his arrest.
She delivered a fiery speech, criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government for purportedly using central agencies to target the Opposition ahead of general elections.
She also read a letter from Arvind Kejriwal in which he promised six guarantees for the people.
“I am not asking for votes from you. I am not asking you to help defeat someone in elections. I am only asking 140 crore Indians to help in taking this country forward,” Sunita said, quoting her husband’s message from ED custody.
In his message, Kejriwal gave six guarantees which were read out by Sunita:
“First, there will be no power cuts across the country. Second, electricity for the poor across the nation will be free. Third, every village will have a good school where children from all sections of society will get quality education. Fourth, every village will have a mohalla clinic, and every zilla will have government multi-speciality hospital. Fifth, farmers will get good minimum support price per the Swaminathan report. And sixth, the people of Delhi have been treated unfairly for many years. We will end this injustice. The people of Delhi will get statehood. We will fulfil all these guarantees in five years.”
#WATCH | INDIA alliance rally: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal says, “Your own Kejriwal has sent a message for you from jail. Before reading this message, I would like to ask you something. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi put my husband in jail, did the Prime… pic.twitter.com/aZsdXXvJOO
— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2024
Kejriwal, along with former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh are currently in the custody of ED in a money-laundering case related to the now-revoked Delhi liquor policy.
“What wrong has Kejriwal done? He has improved Delhi’s education, helped people. If people were not happy with him, he would not have been leading Delhi,” former Jammu & Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti said.
Kalpana Soren, the spouse of jailed former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, was also present at the rally.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray criticised the BJP on the electoral bonds issue, referring to the ruling party as ‘Bhrasht Janata Party’.
“It has emerged that the BJP is the most corrupt party. It is the Bhrasht Janata Party. Their real face has been exposed before the people,” he said at the rally.
The BJP countered the Opposition’s rally, with Sudhanshu Trivedi saying that the gathering is essentially aimed at safeguarding dynastic families in politics, ANI reported.
“It’s not ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally but in reality, it is ‘Parivar bachao, bhrashtachar chhupao’ rally,” Trivedi stated.
