Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that he will continue to fight “anti-national” forces working to weaken the nation.
Addressing a gathering of nearly 300 party workers and supporters who had assembled outside Tihar Jail amid a heavy downpour to welcome him, Mr. Kejriwal stepped through the sunroof of a vehicle and raised slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Inquilab Zindabad.
“I have struggled a lot in my life and faced many difficulties, but at each step, God was with me because I was honest and right,” he said through a public address system.
“They put me in jail thinking they can destroy my courage. But I want to tell you that my resolve and strength have grown 100-fold,” he added.
“Saazish par satya ki jeet hui (Truth has triumphed over conspiracy),” the AAP chief later said in a post on X.
After being released from jail, he held a 4-km roadshow till his official residence — 6, Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines — along with hundreds of party supporters.
Later, while speaking to the media at his residence, Mr. Kejriwal elaborated on his allegations against the “anti-national forces”.
“Attempts are being made to weaken the judiciary and the Election Commission. Judges are being intimidated. The ED (Enforcement Directorate) and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) are being captured. We have to fight these anti-national forces,” he said.
Earlier in the day, as the news alerts about the Supreme Court’s decision to grant regular bail to Mr. Kejriwal began to appear around 10.30 a.m., AAP supporters started trickling into the party headquarters. In time, sweets began to be distributed, and soon, dhol players joined the festivities.
Around 1 p.m., Mr. Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, stepped outside the CM residence, along with senior party leaders, and distributed sweets to supporters.
Subsequently, the party held a press conference seeking the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “The Supreme Court has said clearly that the CBI is working with the intention of taking revenge. The court has once again called the CBI ‘a caged parrot’. The Home Minister has lost his right to remain in his post,” said senior AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj.
AAP Delhi State secretary Reena Gupta said the CM’s release is a boost for the party and that Mr. Kejrwal will campaign extensively in both Haryana and Delhi for the upcoming Assembly elections. “All our leaders getting bail shows that the so-called liquor scam is a fake case created by the BJP,” she said.
Published – September 14, 2024 01:30 am IST