Going back to jail as I raised voice against dictatorship: Kejriwal

PTI, Jun 2, 2024, 5:09 PM IST

Image credit: PTI

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he was going back to jail not because he was involved in corruption but as he had raised voice against “dictatorship”.

Kejriwal was released from jail on May 10 on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls.

The bail expired on June 1, the day when the seventh and last phase of the general elections was held.

Addressing AAP workers and leaders at the party’s officer before surrendering at the Tihar jail, Kejriwal said he campaigned during the Lok Sabha polls to “save” the country.

“I am going back to jail not because I was involved in corruption but because I raised voice against dictatorship,” he said.

Kejriwal asserted that all exit polls predicting a third term for the BJP-led NDA were “fake”.

“Yesterday, exit polls were out and I can give you in writing that they are fake. In Rajasthan, there are 25 parliamentary seats but one exit poll gave them 33 seats. What was the reason that they had to release fake exit poll results?” he said, targeting the BJP.

Exit polls on Saturday predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the NDA expected to win a big majority in the polls.

“They are not forming government on June 4. These exit polls are mind games to drive you into depression,” Kejriwal told AAP workers and leaders.

“I have told all the INDIA bloc parties to be vigilant and not let their counting agents leave early. Counting agents have to stay till the end when the EVM votes and VVPATs are tallied. Even if the candidate is losing, they have to stay till the end,” he said.

Counting of votes of the general elections will be taken up on June 4.

“I was given a 21-day (relief) by the Supreme Court. These 21 days were unforgettable. I did not waste even a minute. I campaigned for saving the country. The AAP is not important, it is secondary. The country comes first,” Kejriwal said.

He claimed that Prime Minister Modi accepted in an interview that not even a single penny has been recovered in connection with the excise policy case. “He said that I am an ‘experienced thief’,” the chief minister said

Before reaching party office, Kejriwal paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat and then offered prayers at the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place.

“I paid obeisance at Rajghat. Gandhiji is our inspiration for ending dictatorship. I went to the Hanuman Mandir. I have the blessings of Bajrangbali. June 4 is Tuesday. Bajrangbali will destroy dictatorship,” he added.