Chandigarh: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday sharpened his attack on the BJP government at the Centre, alleging that they wanted to "break" him in jail and make him join the NDA.
"They don't know that I am from Haryana. You can break anyone, but not Haryanawaley," said Kejriwal during a roadshow in Dabwali in Sirsa district ahead of the assembly polls in the state. The AAP chief said the BJP was scared of his honesty and alleged that the party put him in jail in a "fake" case to "sully" his image.
"They wanted to break me and they repeatedly asked me to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, National Democratic Alliance...I did not break and after coming out of jail, I am before you today," Kejriwal said at the roadshow held in support of Kuldeep Singh, the party's candidate from the Dabwali assembly seat.
The former Delhi chief minister claimed that the BJP used "various tactics" to "break him".
"They stopped my medicines. I am a diabetic but they stopped my insulin. My kidney would have been damaged. We had to get directions from court to allow insulin to me," Kejriwal claimed. Kejriwal resigned as Delhi chief minister after being released from Tihar jail last week in the excise policy case. AAP leader Atishi later took oath as chief minister.
This is the AAP national convener's second visit to the state for assembly poll campaigning -- he had on Friday held a roadshow in Jagadhri constituency in Yamunanagar district for party candidate Adarsh Pal. Haryana will go to polls on October 5 and results of the election will be declared on October 8.
Addressing the gathering during his roadshow in Dabwali on Monday, Kejriwal, referring to the excise policy case, said, "They put me in jail for five months. What was my fault? For ten years, I have been serving the people of Delhi and ran government with full honesty. I ask you, there are two states where electricity is free and available round-the-clock. And the costliest power is in Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP rules."
"Is the one who gives cheap power a (thief) or the other way round. For ten years, we built good schools, ended the education mafia, gave water and power free, built good roads and hospitals and they say Kejriwal is a thief, he said. "They slapped a fake case. They are scared of my honesty. Their motive was to sully my image and send Kejriwal to jail so that people would think that I have done something," the AAP leader said.
Kejriwal claimed that after he came out of jail, people in Delhi are saying that he is 'kattar imandar' (fiercely honest), adding that no one believes that he is a thief. "I resigned as chief minister. These days, no one leaves even the job of a peon. I resigned, I told people of Delhi that if they feel Kejriwal is honest only then vote for me and only when they vote then I will sit on chief minister's chair," he said.
Making a pitch for the AAP in Haryana, Kejriwal said no party has done so much work as has been done by AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab. "I will make your electricity free too, other parties won't. People ask me if we are forming the government. I tell them without us the government cannot be formed in Haryana," he said.
Last week while campaigning in Haryana, Kejriwal had claimed that the next government in Haryana cannot be formed without the support of his party even as he had targeted the BJP, claiming that the entire state wants 'badlav' (change) and people will oust the ruling BJP in the assembly polls. "It is my responsibility to ensure making electricity free, building good hospitals and mohalla clinics, he added.
Dabwali seat is currently represented by Congress' Amit Sihag, who is seeking a re-election. Kejriwal appealed to people to vote for his party candidate Kuldeep Singh and reject the political dynasts who were in the fray. Former deputy prime minister Devi Lal's grandson Aditya Devi Lal is contesting as an INLD candidate in Dabwali, while Digvijay Singh Chautala -- great-grandson of Devi Lal -- has been fielded by the JJP.
