'I didn't resign because...': Kejriwal reveals why he continued as Delhi CM after arrest

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday took centre stage after spending 50 days in jail. Following a visit to the Hanuman temple in the national capital, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader delivered a speech from the party office for the first time since walking out of jail.

The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 for the campaigning of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

The AAP convenor was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 over the alleged Delhi Liquor Policy scam.

‘I didn’t resign from CM post because…’

After he was arrested, Kejriwal did not resign from his chief ministerial post, drawing the ire of the BJP for running his government from jail.

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Clearing the air on the issue, Kejriwal said, “When I was in jail, some people raised this issue that why doesn’t Arvind Kejriwal resign from the post of Delhi CM? I have not come to become CM or PM.”

He said that in 2015 AAP formed the government in Delhi with the most “historic majority” and that no other party could “win in any state with such a huge margin.”

#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says "When I was in jail, some people raised this issue that why doesn't Arvind Kejriwal resign from the post of Delhi CM? I have not come to become CM or PM…In the last 75 years, elections have been held in so many states, AAP government was… pic.twitter.com/75cakV0TDt

— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2024

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“They knew could never defeat AAP, so a conspiracy was hatched to send Kejriwal to jail and the government would fall but we did not fall into their trap,” the chief minister added.

He also said that former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who stepped down from the post hours before his arrest, should not have resigned.

“If you imprison democracy in jail, democracy will run from jail,” Kejriwal said.

‘Will work 36 hours a day’

Kejriwal, who will remain out of jail for 21 days, said that he would utilise each day to work for the nation during the ongoing elections.

VIDEO | "I want to thank the Supreme Court. They have given me 21 days. There are 24 hours in a day, I will work for 36 hours in a day. I will visit across the country to stop this dictatorship. I will sacrifice my everything for the country. Every drop of my blood, every minute… pic.twitter.com/GKrM2QHdAc

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 11, 2024

“I want to thank the Supreme Court. They have given me 21 days. There are 24 hours in a day, I will work for 36 hours in a day. I will visit across the country to stop this dictatorship. I will sacrifice my everything for the country. Every drop of my blood, every minute of my life is for the country. I will travel across the country to save my nation,” he said.

‘Mamata, Stalin next’

Taking potshots at the saffron party, Kejriwal claimed that more leaders will face arrests if the Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in this election.

#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says "They will send opposition leaders to jail and will finish (Nipta denge) the politics of BJP leaders…Our ministers, Hemant Soren, ministers of Mamata Banerjee's party are in jail…If they win again, then Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Tejashwi… pic.twitter.com/xtzToyYuQd

— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2024

“They will send opposition leaders to jail and will finish the politics of BJP leaders…Our ministers, Hemant Soren, ministers of Mamata Banerjee’s party are in jail…If they win again, then Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, Tejashwi Yadav, Pinarayi Vijayan, Uddhav Thackeray and other opposition leaders will all be in jail.”