Arvind Kejriwal returns to Tihar jail as interim bail expires

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday surrendered at the Tihar Jail after his interim bail granted by the Supreme Court ended saying, "your son" is "not going to jail for corruption" but for "raising voice against dictatorship".

Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail on May 10 for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections, paid homage at Rajghat, offered prayers at the Hanuman temple and addressed party workers at AAP HQ before heading to Tihar.

He was accompanied by his wife Sunita Kejriwal, party leaders, including Delhi ministers Atishi, Kailash Gahlot and Saurabh Bharadwaj, Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Sandeep Pathak, and leaders Durgesh Pathak among others. His bail ended on June 1 and he was asked to surrender on Sunday.

In his address, Kejriwal said, "I was given a 21-day (relief) by the Supreme Court. These 21 days were unforgettable. I did not waste even a minute. I campaigned for saving the country. The AAP is not important, it is secondary. The country comes first."

"I am going back to jail not because I was involved in corruption but because I raised my voice against dictatorship," he said while claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has admitted that there is no evidence against him.

He claimed the arrest of the Chief Minister who had won the elections with a thumping majority and even without evidence was meant to be a message to others to fall in line.

Referring to the exit polls, which he described as "fake", he said the BJP is not forming a government on June 4. These exit polls are mind games to drive you into depression, he told AAP workers.

"Yesterday, exit polls were out and I can give you in writing that they are fake. In Rajasthan, there are 25 parliamentary seats but one exit poll gave them 33 seats. What was the reason that they had to release fake exit poll results?" he said.

As Kejriwal went to Rajghat, BJP workers led by Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva protested against him but were detained. "A person who is behind bars for the liquor scam is going to Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi," Sachdeva said.

On Saturday, Kejriwal had held a meeting of AAP’s Political Affairs Committee and asked leaders to remain united.

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