News Brief
Arvind Kejriwal To Surrender On 2 June, Says He's Going To Jail To 'Save the Country From Dictatorship'
Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he would surrender on Sunday (2 June) as the interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court in a Delhi liquor policy case ends.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said that he will return to Tihar jail to save the country from what he termed as 'dictatorship'.
"I am going to jail to save the country from dictatorship, and I care about this deeply. I will go to jail on 2 June. This time, I don’t know how long they will keep me in jail, but my spirits are high. In jail, I will worry about you a lot. Please take care of yourselves. If you are happy, your Kejriwal will be happy. Even though I won’t be with you, I won’t let your free electricity, Mohalla Clinics, hospitals, and free medicine and treatment be stopped," he said.
Kejriwal also said that upon his release from jail, he would also "start giving 1000 rupees every month to my mothers and sisters".
"We are all together fighting a battle against dictatorship. If something happens to me in this fight to save the country, do not be sad," Kejriwal said to his supporters.
Kejriwal also made an emotional plea for the well-being of his elderly parents and urged the public to take care of them.
"I have taken care of and served the entire Delhi as my family. Now, please take care of my elderly and sick parents," he said.
He also claimed that he was denied medication for diabetes.
"I was in jail for 50 days, and in those 50 days, I lost 6 kilos... Even after being released, I have not regained my weight," he claimed, adding that doctors are now concerned about his health.
This comes after the Supreme Court on Wednesday (29 May) refused to entertain the AAP chief's plea seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail.
The apex court had last month granted interim bail to Kejriwal to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections and had asked him to surrender on 2 June, a day after the last leg of polling.
The Supreme Court registrar, while refusing the plea, said that the Delhi Chief Minister was given the liberty to move trial court for regular bail, and hence this petition is "not maintainable".
