NEW DELHI: With just two days left for the Delhi Assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that it is for the people of Delhi to decide on February 8 whether they consider him a "terrorist" or not.
Speaking to ANI, Kejriwal, who is again contesting from the New Delhi constituency, said, "I have made so many students gain an education in the last five years by building schools. Does a terrorist make students educated? I have taken elder people to pilgrimage so how am I a terrorist? Still, if the people of Delhi think that I am a terrorist they should press the lotus button (party symbol of BJP) on February 8 but if they think that I have worked for Delhi, press the 'jhaadu' [broom] (party symbol of AAP) button."
Resorting to sharing an emotional part of his life, he said, "I am extremely saddened. I haven't done anything for myself and my family during my entire life. I am devoted to this country. I have studied in IIT and my score was really good but even then I did not go abroad. Over 80 per cent of my classmates went abroad but at that time I decided to remain here and work for my country."
Kejriwal, who is also an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor, said that he is a diabetic and yet sat on several hunger strikes to fight against corruption in the country.
"I left the Income Tax Commissioner's job and joined Anna Hazare to fight against corruption. While staging the protest I went on a hunger strike against corruption despite being diabetic," he added.
Kejriwal continued, "I'm a diabetic. I take insulin four times a day. If a person with diabetes is on insulin and doesn't eat anything for four to five hours, they collapse and can even die. In such a situation, I have done a hunger strike against corruption twice for 15 days."
This emotional attack by Kejriwal comes after BJP leaders called him a "terrorist".
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday targeted Kejriwal, saying there is enough proof available to prove that AAP leader is a "terrorist".
Listing out all the pieces of evidence one by one, Javadekar said, "Today, Kejriwal's party supports Shaheen Bagh. What is it that you support? Breaking Assam off from India, Jinnah's idea of independence? Standing at a place where slogans of breaking India are being raised is also terrorism."
Replying to a question on his reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, Kejriwal told ANI here, "It was a coincidence. There was an interview going on. He (the interviewer) said that BJP members were saying that I am anti-Hindu. I replied that I help senior citizens to seek blessings at Vaishno Devi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Shirdi, Tirupati, then how am I anti-Hindu? I am a staunch believer of Lord Hanuman."
He added, "When I said this, he asked whether I know Hanuman Chalisa. So, I replied yes and he asked me to recite it. BJP has a problem with this too."
Addressing a rally in Delhi, Yogi Adityanath had on Tuesday said that after Kejriwal, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi will also start chanting Hanuman Chalisa.
When asked about this, Kejriwal replied, "I expect the BJP members also to read it (Hanuman Chalisa). I don't think, those from BJP would have read Hanuman Chalisa in their entire life."
Kejriwal also said that he does not have any role in clearing the road in Shaheen Bagh, where people have been protesting for over 40 days now.
He added that BJP was benefitting the most from this agitations as 'they don't have any other narrative in the Assembly election'.
"Right now, which party is benefitting the most from Shaheen Bagh? BJP is benefitting the most right now. Other than Shaheen Bagh, they don't have any other narrative in the election. The issue of Shaheen Bagh is that the people, who are protesting have blocked a road there because of which people are facing a lot of troubles... We have demanded many times that Amit Shah should get that road cleared," Kejriwal told ANI here.
He also accused the Central ministers and BJP leaders of troubling Delhi citizens for their 'dirty politics'.
"Amit Shah is the Home Minister and the most powerful person of the country right now. He can't get a road cleared? He can. Nobody is ready to understand this that Amit Shah cannot get a road cleared. He does not want to do that. For dirty politics, he has made lives of Delhi people miserable because if he will get that road cleared, BJP's agenda will be over. BJP is only fighting election over Shaheen Bagh, they only want to divert the attention of people of Delhi," he added,
Asked why doesn't he intervenes himself being the Chief Minister of Delhi, Kejriwal replied, "I don't have any role (in it). If I can do anything, I will do it immediately. I can't get the road opened there, that police have to do as it is law and order problem. I can't make any commitment there regarding CAA and NRC. I don't have any role... I occupy a constitutional post and have restrictions. People of Delhi have voted me for school, hospital, electricity, water, ration. For law and order, they have voted for the central government."
The AAP chief also said that the BJP is using Delhi Police against his party, a day after cops said that the Shaheen Bagh shooter has links with the AAP, and called for strict punishment to the accused.
"BJP has left with nothing. They have nothing to counter the workers done by the AAP government in Delhi. All parties came together to beat Kejriwal. Later, they started saying Kejriwal is terrorist, traitor and anti-worker. It all did not work. So they started using the Delhi Police. Do we have the power to do such a thing (shooting)? Do we do such type of work?" Kejriwal told ANI.
"Kapil's family has said they have nothing to do with AAP. Anyone can get their pictures clicked with someone. I say he should get strict punishment. If he has any link with AAP, then he should be given harshest punishment. Forty-eight hours before polling, Amit Shah is using police to do such petty conspiracies. The entire country knows they are doing a political stunt," he said.
His remarks came after the Crime Branch of Delhi Police revealed that Kapil Gujjar is associated with the AAP, based on photographs recovered from his phone in which he and his father are seen with prominent leaders of the party.
The photos, recovered from Kapil's phone, show him and his father Gaje Singh with AAP leaders such as Atishi and Sanjay Singh and are allegedly from 2019 on the day when the father-son duo joined AAP.
However, Gaje Singh has denied links of his family with the AAP.
Earlier, CP Crime Branch, Delhi Police, Rajesh Deo said Kapil, at the beginning of the investigation, had disclosed the fact that he had joined AAP in 2019 but added that the influence of any politicians on Kapil would become clear only after further investigations.
Kapil, according to the official, had told the Crime Branch that he had brought the pistol almost seven years ago for celebratory firing during his brother's wedding.
on Tuesday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur sent Kapil, who is a resident of Dallupura village near Delhi-Noida border, to two-day police custody.
Kapil was detained by police on Saturday following the firing incident and an FIR was registered against him. He had, on February 1, opened fire in the air at Shaheen Bagh, where protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are going on for over 50 days.
The voting in all 70 Assembly constituencies is scheduled for February 8 and the counting of votes will take place on February 11.