Bhagwant Mann meets Arvind Kejriwal in jail, says 'made to meet like terrorists'

Bhagwant Mann meets Arvind Kejriwal in jail, says ‘made to meet like terrorists’

Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann met his Delhi counterpart and party chief Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi’s Tihar Jail on Monday. He alleged that both were being made to meet like “terrorists” and that Kejriwal did not get amenities that are provided even to hardcore criminals.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at his residence on March 21 after the agency officials questioned him in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case. He has been in prison since April 1.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Kejriwal, said he became emotional on seeing the Delhi Chief Minister. He said he spoke to him for half an hour but they were separated by a glass wall and interacted over a phone call.

“It was very sad to see that he (Kejriwal) isn’t getting the facilities which are available even to hardcore criminals. What’s his fault? You’re treating him as if you have caught one of the biggest terrorists in the country. What does PM Modi want? Arvind Kejriwal who is ‘kattar imaandaar’ (very honest), who started the politics of transparency and ended the BJP’s politics is being treated like this,” he said.

Mann said Kejriwal asked him about the state of affairs in Punjab and asserted that AAP will rise as a big political power when the results will be announced on June 4.Â

“When I asked about how he has been doing, he said forget about me and asked me how things were going on in Punjab? We do the politics of work. AAP is a disciplined group. We are all together and standing firm with Kejriwal. When the results will be announced on June 4, AAP will rise as a big political power,” he said.

Given that Mann is Z+ protectee, security was tightened with local police being deployed outside Tihar Jail.

On the other hand, AAP leader Sandeep Pathak, who accompanied Mann to Tihar Jail, said Kejriwal will call two cabinet ministers from next week to review the development works going on.

“Kejriwal ji told us to stop worrying about him and asked about the well-being of the people. He asked if they were getting free electricity? He asked about power cuts. He asked if the free medicines that were available earlier continue to be now or not?. We told him everything,” he said.

“He said, that from next week, he will be calling 2 ministers at a time to review the works going on. He also asked me to meet every MLA and to tell them to visit every street to see there shouldn’t be any problem for the people,” he added.

Pathak said the AAP workers were energised ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and said they will do “10 times more service to the people than we do”. He also said that the Delhi government will be run from jail and there was no doubt about that.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal’s judicial custody was extended till April 23. His current judicial custody had expired on Monday.

The ED has accused Kejriwal of being involved in the “entire conspiracy of Delhi liquor policy, in drafting and implementation of the policy, for favouring and benefiting the quid pro by receiving kickbacks and eventually using part of the proceeds of crime generated out of the scheduled offence in the election campaign for Goa assembly elections” in 2022.

The AAP has vehemently denied the allegations and accused the BJP-led Centre of hatching a political conspiracy ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.