In a first, just five days ahead of voting for Lok Sabha Election 2024 in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held nukkad sabha meetings along with his wife Sunita in support of the Aam Aadmi Party’s East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar.
“Today, I have come along with Sunita Kejriwal. She was the bridge between you and me when I was in jail. She used to appraise me about your problems and carry my message to you. She will speak a few words,” said the Chief Minister addressing the people who had gathered.
Incidentally, Sunita Kejriwal’s first road show was in the East Delhi constituency. Addressing the people, Sunita said, “It is because of your blessings that your chief minister, my husband is amongst you all. Thank you. The almighty also supports the truth, this is a fact, isn’t it? Don’t you all want that your chief minister should remain with you all and not go back to jail? For this, on 25th May, all of you have to vote for jhaadu.”
Since May 10, when Kejriwal was released on interim bail, his wife, who, as he said, ‘kamaan sambhali’ (held the fort), and had led the AAP’s campaign, had taken a back seat while the chief minister hit the campiagn trail. The joint campaign by the two together is a clear indication that Sunita Kejriwal would be in charge when Kejriwal goes back to jail.
Incidentally, when the couple was campaigning in East Delhi, the police had reached the chief minister’s official residence along with his former aide Bibhav Kumar. Kumar was arrested last Saturday following grievous charges of assault by the party’s own Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, which he has denied.
The AAP has been looking to consolidate support amongst women. Not surprisingly, Kejriwal had begun his speech addressing women, “When I was in jail, I heard that many of my mothers and sisters did a lot of puja-path that Kejriwal may come out soon, many prayed, asked for mannat. I am thankful to all my mothers and sisters because of whose blessings I am here,” he added. Going over his familiar trope, he added, “This is nothing less than a miracle that I am out, Modi ji had tried his best that I remain inside.”
Referring to the response of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a TV channel, Kejriwal said, “They asked him, ‘Kejriwal has made bus rides free in the country’, Modi said, ‘this is not right. Bus travels should not be made free’.” Kejriwal went on to argue what problem Modi ji could have when by saving money, “I have made bus rides free in times of such high price rise and that the PM could demonstrate a large heart if bus rides across the whole country is made free by him.” With an eye on the women’s vote, Kejriwal promised that Rs 1000/- for women will be disbursed soon.
“Look at the irony. I made medicines free for the whole country. And when I went to jail, they stopped my medicines for 15 days. I begged them, I am a diabetic since 20 years and for the past 10 years, I had been taking insulin injections everyday. I take four injections of insulin in my stomach every day. When I was in Tihar, they stopped my insulin injections and my sugar levels rose up to 300 – 350 instead of the normal 140. If sugar levels rise, liver, kidney get spoilt,” said Kejriwal seeking to strike a chord of sympathy with the people. On the emotional pitch, Kejriwal said, “Now they are saying that on the 2nd, I will have to go to jail again. It is up to you. If you vote for the BJP, I will have to go to jail again. If you vote for jhaadu, then Kejriwal will roam freely amongst you.”
“They are arresting someone every day. They arrested me. Poor Manish Sisodia is in jail. They arrested Sanjay Singh. They arrested Satyendar Jain. Day before yesterday, they arrested my PA. Now, they are saying they will arrest Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj. We had elected a Prime Minister or a thaanedar,” Kejriwal questioned.
In yet another direct attack on the Prime Minister, Kejriwal said, “Look at his speeches. These days, he has resorted to abuse. I was in Mumbai, there he said, Sharad Pawar is a “bhatakti aatma” (roaming spirit). Pawar is 84 years old, Modi ji is 74 years old. Should he speak like this? Uddhav Thackeray apni baap ke nakli santan hai, aisi baat toh sadakchap karte hain (Uddhav Thackeray is a fake child of his father. Only roadside people speak such a language). What language is this? One day he said that if INDI alliance forms the government, it will take away your mangal sutras, what language is this? On the 4th of June, INDI alliance is forming the government and AAP will be its part and we will obtain full statehood for Delhi. After the 4th, the police will listen to you.”
“I was thinking, I am a small person. There is a small party. We have governments only in Delhi and Punjab. Pradhan Mantri ji is such a big and powerful person. He is the Raja of this country. Why did he put me in jail? That’s because he wants to stop our work in Delhi. What is my fault? I built good government schools, I made arrangement for good schools. I told Pradhan Mantri ji, I built 500 schools, why don’t you build 5,000, 50,000, then you will become bigger,” said the chief minister with AAP East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar by his side. The AAP made similar arguments about mohalla clinics.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s Patpartgang falls in the East Delhi constituency. The AAP has fielded Kuldeep Kumar, who belongs to the SC community, from an unreserved constituency. The AAP Congress alliance suffered a blow in this constituency as Arvinder Singh Lovely, who has a sizeable support, ditched the Congress for the BJP. Another former AAP MLA from the Laxmi Nagar assembly constituency, which falls in the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, Nitin Tyagi, has also withdrawn from the party’s campaign. The East Delhi constituency will see a direct fight between AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar and BJP’s Harsh Malhotra.
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