Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21.
Following his interim release on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is all set to hit the campaign trail, beginning with a roadshow in the national capital today. In his first public address post-release, Kejriwal called upon voters to safeguard the nation from dictatorship.
The Supreme Court has granted Kejriwal interim bail until June 1, allowing him to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The Delhi CM is a key player in the opposition INDIA bloc, which is contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led coalition.
After his release from the Tihar Jail on Friday evening, Kejriwal was greeted by thousands of supporters. “We have to save this country from dictatorship. I am fighting against it with all of my might,” he told the crowd.
Today”s agenda includes a visit to the Hanuman Temple in Delhi”s Connaught Place, followed by a roadshow in South Delhi. A press conference is also slated to take place later in the day at the AAP office in Delhi. Kejriwal is expected to extend his campaign nationwide, with the fourth phase of polling scheduled for May 13.
All seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi go to the polls on May 25, while Punjab, also under AAP governance, holds 13 seats and will vote in a single phase on June 1.
While the Congress and AAP have joined forces in Delhi, in Punjab, they find themselves in direct opposition. Nonetheless, the entire INDIA bloc celebrated Kejriwal”s interim relief from the Supreme Court.
“Truth can be troubled but not defeated. The decision of the Hon”ble Supreme Court is welcome. The dictatorship will end. Satyamev Jayate,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, also an accused in the money laundering case, said in a post on X.
Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi government are battling allegations of corruption following the implementation of a policy to deregulate the sale of liquor in 2021. Although the policy was scrapped the following year, an inquiry into the purportedly corrupt distribution of licenses resulted sent some leaders of the AAP, including Kejriwal to jail. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21.
