As a mark of protest against the arrest of his PA Bibhav Kumar in the Swati Maliwal assault case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders will lead a march to the BJP headquarters on Sunday (May 19). He dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to get them arrested.
What did Kejriwal say?
Kejriwal released a video message on Saturday, hours after his aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested in the assault case, and said that the BJP is saying they will send AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who had just returned from the UK, and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail too.
He asserted that AAP is not just a party but an idea and it cannot be crushed by sending its leaders to jail.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "playing the game" of sending AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Sanjay Singh to jail, he said on Saturday, "I am coming to BJP headquarters with all my big leaders, MLAs, MPs, everyone, at 12 noon tomorrow. Whoever you want to put in jail, do so all at once."
"You think that you will crush the Aam Aadmi Party by putting its leaders in jail, the AAP is not going to be crushed like this. You try it once and see. "This country will produce 100 times more leaders than the number of AAP leaders you put in jail. Tomorrow at 12, I am coming to the BJP headquarters with all my leaders. Whoever you want to put in jail, put them in jail," he said," he added.
AAP East Delhi Lok Sabha candidate Kuldeep Kumar said, "This is a conspiracy. CM will go to (BJP headquarters) today at 12 noon. Instead of hatching these conspiracies, the PM should put the entire Aam Aadmi Party in jail..."
Swati Maliwal reacts
AAP MP Swati Maliwal recalled the role played by her in the agitation in the Nirbhaya rape cape and said that the AAP is hitting the road today to "save" Bibhav Kumar.
"There was a time when we all came out on the streets to get justice for Nirbhaya. Today, after 12 years, they are out on the streets to save the accused who made the CCTV footage disappear and formatted the phone? I wish they had used this much force for Manish Sisodia ji. If he had been here, maybe this bad thing wouldn't have happened to me," she posted on X.
Kejriwal's interim bail
He claimed that the AAP's "fault" was that its government in Delhi built good schools, set up Mohalla Clinics, provided free treatment and ensured free round-the-clock power supply in the city which the BJP could not do.
Kejriwal, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, has been granted interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls. He will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2, a day after the last phase of polling in the general elections.
Delhi Police issues traffic advisory
"In view of the proposed protest by a political party at DDU Marg Delhi, Traffic will remain heavy at DDU Marg, IP Marg, Minto Road and Vikas Marg. DDU marg may be closed for traffic movement between 11.00 am to 2.00 pm. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly," Delhi Traffic Police posted on X.
(With inputs from agencies)
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