Hours after a trial court discharged him and 22 others in the alleged liquor “scam”, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold immediate elections in Delhi, and said he would leave politics if the BJP won even 10 of the 70 Assembly seats.
“I challenge you Modiji, if you have the courage, show us by holding elections in Delhi today. If you win more than 10 seats, I will leave politics. The people of Delhi are fed up with you,” the former Chief Minister said at a press conference at the AAP headquarters.
Kejriwal thanked the special court for showing the “courage to deliver justice” in his case. Flanked by his colleagues Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak, and Saurabh Bhardwaj, he said: “The BJP has used the words ‘sharaab ghotala’ (liquor scam) a lot over the last four years… But our judicial system has passed a historic judgment today. I thank Judge Sahib for showing courage in an environment in which all institutions and authorities are being intimidated… The judge has shown great courage in delivering this justice.”
“The CBI and ED were used to frame us in the so-called liquor scam,” Kejriwal said. “The court had to decide prima facie whether there was sufficient evidence, statements, and testimony to prosecute the case. Considering all the statements and evidence, the court found in its 600-page order that there was not a shred of evidence… The court has said that this is a cheap, fake, and wrong case… These are not my words, these are the words of the court…,” he said.
The AAP chief directly accused the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah of hatching a conspiracy to “destroy the AAP”, and asked both of them to apologise to the entire country.
“Together, they…orchestrated the most useless and false conspiracy in independent India. They saw that they could not defeat us in Delhi and that they would not be able to stand in front of our government in Delhi, so they hatched this conspiracy… The BJP started saying that Kejriwal is dishonest, Kejriwal committed the liquor scam, Kejriwal ate Rs 100 crore…,” he said.
“I have only earned honesty in life, I have earned respect, I have not [fraudulently] made a single penny… I am not like these people. They wanted to put an end to that honesty… But today, after the court order, it has been proven that Kejriwal is a staunchly honest man; Sisodia, Durgesh, Sanjay Singh, AAP are staunchly honest,” he said.
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Having failed to harm him through a “conspiracy”, arrests of top AAP leaders, and the use of law enforcement agencies, the only option left before the central government now was to eliminate him physically, Kejriwal alleged.
“I want to tell Modiji…you could not harm Kejriwal… Ab toh ek hi tarika bacha hai Kejriwal se nipatne ka, Modiji, Kejriwal ka katl karvaana padega, hatya karvaani padegi…, uske alawa Kejriwal aapse sambhalne wala nahin hai… (You now have only one way to deal with Kejriwal; he will have to be killed… There is no other way),” he said.
The Prime Minister, Kejriwal said, could try to emulate and surpass the achievements of the AAP government — but predicted that the Centre would not do so.
“…We built 500 schools, you build 5,000; Kejriwal only constructed 200 mohalla clinics, you develop 20,000 clinics. I developed Delhi’s roads, you develop the entire country’s roads. Show the people you can do good work,” he said.
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“But no, Modiji cannot do that…This is the result of PM Modi and Amit Shah’s lust for power…this conspiracy,” Kejriwal said. Delhi under the BJP was facing an unprecedented crisis of road conditions, hospital infrastructure, water scarcity, and pollution, he alleged. “Tell me one thing they (BJP) have done… They made the city hell… For their lust for power, the people of Delhi are suffering….”
He also accused the PM of being timid in his dealings with the United States and President Donald Trump. “America aaj hame aankhen dikhata hai… Trump roz gaaliyan deta hai hamare desh ko… Hamara pradhan mantri unke saamne bheegi billi bana hua hai (America is arrogant with us, but our PM behaves like a scared cat before him),” Kejriwal said.
The former CM thanked his lawyers for the legal victory in the CBI case, and said the agency could appeal in the High Court if it so desired. “They don’t have any evidence… The court discussed disciplinary action against the CBI officer… This has never happened in the country because it is such a fake and false case.”
He predicted that the ED’s case would also fall. “The ED case is over. The ED’s case is based on the CBI’s case… We will file an application next week, and that case will also be over,” Kejriwal said.
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Kejriwal said that he had not “disappeared” after AAP was defeated in the Assembly elections a year ago – he had only decided that he would “remain silent” until he was proven innocent. “Today, I feel that a heavy weight has been lifted from my heart… I feel light,” he said.
Kejriwal also responded to the Congress’s allegation that the BJP had helped him get relief. “Kejriwal went to jail. Did Robert Vadra go to jail? Sanjay Singh went to jail. Did Rahul Gandhi go to jail, Sonia Gandhi…? Congressmen have no shame,” he said.
Earlier, in the day, Kejriwal broke down while speaking to reporters outside Rouse Avenue Court, saying, “They threw mud on us, saying Kejriwal is corrupt. There used to be debates 24 hours on television about me and members of my party. Kejriwal bhrasht nahin hai (Kejriwal is not corrupt). I have only earned honesty through my hard work in my life and this has been proven today,” he said, his voice choking with emotion.
“They made false cases against me, saying Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are corrupt. But the court proved that Kejriwal, Sisodia, and AAP are kattar imaandaar (staunchly honest), they came to power by only doing good and hard work. Putting us in jail with false cases does not befit the Prime Minister…,” Kejriwal said.
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Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged that Kejriwal and Sisodia were involved in destroying evidence. “He is corrupt… The people of Delhi had already delivered their verdict by removing him from power,” Sachdeva said.
Sachdeva accused Kejriwal of attempting to gain public sympathy and “acting emotional”. “Kejriwal cries without tears in eyes… He should join Bollywood and act,” he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta accused Kejriwal of shedding fake tears. “The verdict delivered by the trial court is…a part of the legal process. The court…referred to a lack of evidence. Insufficient evidence and being completely innocent are two different things. The legal process is not yet complete, and the matter may go to the High Court,” she said in a statement.
