NEW DELHI: Making his first major public appearance since AAP’s defeat in the Delhi elections, Arvind Kejriwal has once again taken aim at INDIA bloc-ally, Congress. Speaking at AAP’s ‘Ek Shaam Shaheedon Ke Naam’ event on Sunday, Kejriwal accused both the BJP and Congress of colluding, alleging that neither party values the contributions of national icons Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar.
“We consider Bhagat Singh and Baba Saheb Ambedkar our ideals. There are pictures of both of them in our house and in every office of the Delhi and Punjab governments. The first thing the new government in Delhi did was to remove the pictures of both. We were waiting for them (BJP) to announce Rs 2,500 to women. But they removed the pictures of Bhagat Singh and Baba Saheb and put up pictures of their leaders first,” Kejriwal said.
He added, “When we put up the pictures of these two, Congress protested that Gandhiji’s picture was not put up. However, when the BJP removed the photos of these two, Congress did not say anything. There is a collusion between these two.”
Kejriwal recalled how Bhagat Singh’s letters from jail were delivered to his comrades despite being critical of the British. In contrast, he alleged that his own letter from prison never reached the Lieutenant Governor and instead led to a show cause notice against him. “Bhagat Singh had the freedom to write any letter, but I was not even allowed to write two lines,” he said, calling the BJP “worse than the British.”
“I wrote a letter to LG that I was in jail, so Atishi should be allowed to hoist the flag. There was nothing wrong with this. I gave a letter to the jail superintendent, but the letter did not reach LG, and I got a show cause notice that how dare I write such a letter. Bhagat Singh had the freedom to write any letter, but I could not write a letter of two lines. You (BJP) are worse than the British,” he said.
AAP suffered a major electoral setback in Delhi, losing to the BJP, which secured 48 of the 70 seats. Kejriwal’s return to public life at the Shaheed Diwas event marks a significant moment for the party as it attempts to regain momentum. The event, held at the AAP headquarters, was attended by senior leaders, MLAs, councillors, and office-bearers.
Kejriwal’s comments also reflect the deepening rift between AAP and Congress, who were allies in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but turned into fierce rivals during the Delhi assembly polls. The campaign saw Rahul Gandhi launching scathing attacks against Kejriwal, accusing him of corruption and misgovernance. The Congress had alleged that AAP was responsible for the liquor scam and criticised Kejriwal for failing to maintain the legacy of previous Congress-led governments in Delhi.
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The animosity between AAP and Congress had intensified in the run-up to the elections, with Kejriwal frequently hitting back at Gandhi’s allegations. “Modi puts people in jail even by making fake cases like the liquor scam. Why haven’t you and your family been arrested in open-and-shut cases like National Herald? How did Robert Vadra get a clean chit from BJP? It is better if you don’t preach on fear and bravery,” Kejriwal had said in response to Gandhi’s criticisms. He also accused Congress of working hand in hand with BJP to defeat AAP.