NEW DELHI: A day after his release from Tihar Jail, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal embarked on a packed schedule on Saturday. His day commenced with seeking blessings at the Hanuman Temple in Delhi’s Connaught Place, followed by a press conference. Concurrently, the Chief Minister initiated roadshows, commencing from South Delhi’s Mehrauli and culminating with another in East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar. Notably, Bhagwant Mann, the CM of Punjab, and other AAP leaders accompanied Kejriwal during his roadshows.
Kejriwal expressed gratitude for the warm reception after his 50-day absence. He recounted visiting the Prachin Hanuman Mandir of Connaught Place, seeking blessings from Lord Hanuman, then paying homage to Shiv ji and Shani Maharaj. Kejriwal attributed his sudden appearance amidst the public to Hanuman ji’s blessings, a development he deemed miraculous.
Kejriwal’s first roadshow for the Lok Sabha election campaign took place in the South Delhi constituency, followed by another in East Delhi. Amidst enthusiastic crowds, Kejriwal and Mann waved and interacted with people from an open-roof vehicle, while AAP supporters marched behind, displaying party flags and chanting slogans in support of their candidate Sahi Ram Pehalwan.
During the roadshows, Kejriwal launched scathing criticism against the BJP, predicting a decline in their Lok Sabha representation across several states, including Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. He asserted that this wasn’t merely his opinion but insights gleaned from experts, psephologists, and analysts he consulted within the first 20 hours of his release.
Claiming to have conversed with numerous experts post-release, Kejriwal confidently asserted that the BJP wouldn’t secure a majority. He prophesied BJP’s loss in all seven seats in Delhi and a similar fate in Punjab. Kejriwal anticipated the formation of an INDIA bloc government on June 4, with AAP as a constituent, asserting Delhi’s transition to a full state thereafter. Kejriwal lamented his arrest, attributing it to his initiatives in education and healthcare for Delhi. Despite his party’s limited presence, he highlighted the opposition’s efforts to undermine his governance, including denying him medication during his incarceration.
‘Clarify BJP’s retirement formula’
AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday said that PM Narendra Modi should come forward to clarify the BJP’s ‘75 years retirement formula’ which they have imposed on their senior party leaders. He was responding to Amit Shah’s statement that Modi will continue to lead the nation post the LS elections. Singh said that Kejriwal raised the “genuine” issue of ‘75 years age rule’, which was made by the PM.