Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 | Was jailed so that my work could be stopped: Kejriwal

Chandigarh: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at the BJP-led Centre on Sunday and claimed that he was put in jail so that the work initiated by him could be stopped and also to prove him dishonest.

The former Delhi chief minister was addressing a rally in Haryana's Rewari to garner support for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Satish Yadav in the October 5 state Assembly polls.

Kejriwal was released from Delhi's Tihar Jail on September 13 after he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in a case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)linked to the alleged excise policy scam in the national capital. He was in jail for about five months.

Addressing the rally, Kejriwal said his government in Delhi built "excellent" schools and hospitals and added that around one lakh elderly people were sent on pilgrimages for free.

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji felt that he (Kejriwal) is doing so much work. He won (elections) first in Delhi, then in Punjab and now, he will win in Haryana and Gujarat. Stop him, stop his work, prove him dishonest. And then they put me in jail," he said.

The AAP leader said good schools were built for poor children in Delhi. "Four lakh students shifted from private schools to government schools," he added.

"Vote for me and I will build the future of your children. I will make arrangements for your children's good education and set up good schools," he said.

Kejriwal said he gave employment to 12 lakh people in Delhi and more than 46,000 government jobs were given by the AAP government in Punjab.

Slamming the BJP-led Centre, he said, "Why did it put me in jail? My only fault was that I was honestly serving the people of Delhi for 10 years, I provided 24-hour free electricity to the people of Delhi, built excellent hospitals and schools.

"There are only two states in the country -- Delhi and Punjab -- where free electricity is available for 24 hours," the AAP leader said.

"Even in Haryana, only Arvind Kejriwal can reduce the electricity bill amounts to zero. Modiji does not provide free electricity in Gujarat, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. The BJP has governments in 22 states where electricity is expensive. They call me a thief. People should say who the thief is -- the one who makes electricity expensive or the one who makes electricity free," he said.

Kejriwal spoke about his party's guarantees in Haryana, including free electricity, setting up mohalla clinics, improving the condition of government schools and hospitals and Rs 1,000 per month for women.

The 90-member Haryana Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on October 8.

Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.