Doesn't Matter If I Go To Jail, What Matters Is Constitution Should Be Saved: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

The INDIA bloc will work for the country's progress if it forms government at the Centre, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday as he appealed to people to vote for candidates of the alliance to end "dictatorship" and "save" the Constitution.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress, both members of the bloc, are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi under a seat-sharing arrangement.

The Kejriwal-led party is contesting four of the seven parliamentary seats in the national capital, while its alliance partner has fielded candidates from three. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "not coming back to power" on June 4, said Kejriwal, who held roadshows at Model Town and Jahangirpuri in support of Congress' Chandni Chowk and Northwest Delhi Lok Sabha seat candidates JP Agarwal and Udit Raj, respectively.

"I have made enquiries across the country. Their (BJP's) seats are reducing everywhere, be it Haryana or Uttar Pradesh. If the INDIA bloc comes to power, we will work for the progress of the country and end dictatorship. It does not matter whether I go to jail, what matters is that the Constitution should be saved and it's your responsibility," the Delhi chief minister said while addressing a gathering at Jahangirpuri.

During his roadshow in the Chandni Chowk constituency, some people displayed posters and raised slogans over Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar allegedly misbehaving with AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Swati Malliwal.

The Delhi BJP on X posted a purported video in which Kejriwal, who was greeting people out of the sunroof of a car during the roadshow, is seen going back inside the vehicle as people protested.

The party alleged that Kejriwal left the roadshow due to protest by the people. The AAP has acknowledged the incident involving Bibhav Kumar and Maliwal. In Model Town, Kejriwal said he will have to go back to jail, if people vote for the BJP, and gave the slogan "Jo kare Kejriwal ko pyaar woh kare Modi ko inkaar (those who love Kejriwal reject Modi)". Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor policy case, was released from Tihar Jail on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court.

"I have come straight from jail to be amongst you. These people (BJP) put me behind bars and I missed you a lot. I love you a lot. I know that even you love me a lot. I am a small person. Ours is a small party with governments in Delhi and Punjab," Kejriwal said in his roadshow in support of Agarwal.

"I was wondering why I was put in jail. What is my fault? These people are quite powerful," he said. The chief minister said his "fault" was providing good education to children, building good schools for them, opening Mohalla Clinics and arranging for free medicines for people.

"Now, they are saying I will have to go jail again. It is in your hands whether I go to jail. If you choose lotus (the BJP's symbol), I will have to return to jail. If you choose INDIA bloc candidate, I won't have to go to jail," the AAP national convener said. "When you go to vote, you have to think whether Kejriwal should go to jail.

'Jo kare Kejriwal ko pyaar woh kare Modi ko inkaar'," he said. Seeking support for Agarwal, he said this time, the AAP and the Congress are contesting in an alliance. Kejriwal alleged that efforts were made to break him while he was in jail "but because of the blessings of Lord hanuman, I stayed strong". In his roadshow in support of Raj, the AAP leader accused the BJP of "dictatorship".

"They are saying that they want 400 seats since they want to accomplish big things. What are those big things? It was found that they want to end reservation. Baba Saheb Ambedkar has written an excellent Constitution. Do not think about the heat on May 25 and step out to vote," Kejriwal said.

Polling for all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held on June 25 in the sixth round of the seven-phase general elections.

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