Delhi minister Atishi on Monday launched a blistering attack on the BJP, accusing the ruling party at the Centre of harassing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is lodged in Tihar jail after his interim bail ended. Kejriwal had surrendered before authorities on Sunday in an alleged assault case.
Addressing the media, Atishi claimed the BJP has shown no “peace of mind” despite Kejriwal’s incarceration and alleged he is being denied basic facilities like a cooler in his cell despite the scorching Delhi heat wave.
“Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested by the BJP in a fake case…But the BJP-ruled central government has not found peace. They are leaving no stone unturned to harass Arvind Kejriwal. He has been kept in a cell where even a cooler has not been provided,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader stated.
“At a time when the temperature in Delhi is reaching 48-50 degrees Celsius, coolers are provided to notorious criminals in Tihar Jail but Delhi’s popular CM Arvind Kejriwal has not been given a cooler in this scorching heat. I want to ask this to the BJP and their LG sahab how low will you stoop?” Atishi questioned.
Her allegations were countered by a senior Tihar jail official who clarified that coolers are only issued to inmates on court orders, especially to those who are unwell.
Atishi also claimed discrepancies in Kejriwal’s medical examination on Sunday, alleging his weight showed different readings on three separate machines used to measure him.
The heated accusations have further stoked the long-simmering tensions between the AAP and BJP, with the former alleging vendetta while the latter insists it is letting the law take its course.