New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Sharing his jail experiences and the restrictions imposed on him, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday alleged that even Bhagat Singh would not have dreamt that 95 years later, a “cruel and tyrannical” government would come in India that would leave the British behind.
Kejriwal addressed the AAP workers at the party headquarters and recalled his experiences inside Tihar. He was carrying a copy of Bhagat Singh’s ‘Jail Diary’ and said he read it several times during his incarceration.
“I got a lot of time in jail to think and read. And I read many books. I read political books, the Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharata,” he said.
Showing Bhagat Singh’s ‘Jail Diary’, the AAP supremo shared that he read it many times in jail.
“When Bhagat Singh was in jail 95 years ago, he wrote letters to many people from jail including his revolutionary comrades and the youth of the country. Before his death, he wrote his last letter to his comrades on March 22, 1931 from jail and the Britishers delivered it to them. He wrote letters to Batukeshwar Dutt’s sister Pramila, his childhood friend Jaidev Gupta and even to Viceroy. The letter he wrote for the youth was read in a youth congregation,” he said.
Kejriwal said 95 years after Bhagat Singh’s death, a “revolutionary chief minister” went to jail in independent India.
“I wrote just one letter to Lieutenant Governor Saab from jail. It was August (15) the Independence Day of the country. On the day of India’s independence, Delhi’s CM hoists the flag on behalf of the Delhi government. I wrote a letter to the LG three days before August 15 requesting him to allow Cabinet Minister Atishi to hoist the flag in my absence. That letter was not sent to him,” he recalled.
The chief minister said his letter was returned and a warning was issued that if he dared to write a letter to the LG for the second time, his family meetings will be stopped.
“Even the British had not imagined that after 95 years of independent India, a ruler more cruel and oppressive than the British would rule the country,” he charged.
The AAP supremo stated that during the freedom struggle, countless freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Chandrashekhar Azad and Ashfaq Ullah Khan, went to jail and remained in jail for many years.
“Their colleagues used to visit them in jail. When they went to meet them, they used to talk to them about politics and how to uproot the British.
“Sandeep Pathak came to meet me in jail and we spoke about the political situation of the country and the party. Of course, I would not talk about romance with him. But Pathak was blacklisted and was not allowed to meet me,” he charged.
Last month, Pathak had approached the Delhi High Court that the prison authority’s decision to deny him a meeting with Kejriwal in jail was “arbitrary, illegal and completely unjustified”.
The jail authorities had permitted Pathak to meet Kejriwal twice in April but refused to give him permission later, claiming that certain statements made by him after meeting the chief minister were in contravention of prison rules and mostly politically motivated.
“Bhagat Singh, who was hanged, would not have even dreamt that one day India would be like this. He wouldn’t have thought 95 years from today, a cruel and tyrannical government would come in India that would leave the British behind,” the AAP supremo alleged.
Hitting out at the BJP, he said that he was sent to jail only to break his and his party’s morale.
“They have made a formula. The whole country is watching how they are breaking and buying MLAs. Scaring them by sending ED-CBI. Put them in jail by filing fake cases. Topple governments and form their own government. They broke two national parties in Maharashtra,” he added.
Asserting that his jail stay has increased his morale by 100 times, he said, “With the blessings of the people, the AAP has the strength to face their biggest conspiracies. The days I was in jail have increased my morale 100 times.” Kejriwal said that these (BJP) people ask why Kejriwal did not resign after going to jail.
“I did not resign because I wanted to save the democracy of the country. Apart from buying MLAs, breaking parties and intimidating, they have made another formula that wherever they lose elections, they file fake cases against the chief ministers, arrest them and topple the government,” he charged.
Accusing the Centre of filing cases against Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan, Hemant Soren and Mamata Banerjee, he said they do not spare even a single leader of the opposition.
“They arrest each one and put them in jail and topple their government. Just 10 days ago, a bench of the Supreme Court asked the Central government why the government cannot be run from inside the jail? I have proved that the government can be run from jail,” he asserted.
He made a fervent appeal to all the non-BJP chief ministers of the country to not resign if they face a “fake case”.
“Run the government from jail. It is not that we are greedy for the post. The post of the chief minister is not important for us. Do not resign because our Constitution, country and democracy are important for us,” he said.
Kejriwal said these people (BJP) are afraid of our honesty.
“They are mudslinging me, slandering me, abusing me morning and evening, but for me the BJP is not important, rather the people of the country are important for me,” he stressed. PTI SLB SJJ AS AS
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