Arvind Kejriwal: Today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will fast for the entire day in protest of Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and leader of the party, being arrested. Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai declared on Saturday that the group show of support will involve a gathering of supporters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Khatkar Kalan in Punjab, Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village, where party members and leaders would observe a widespread fast.
Global Solidarity through Fasting
“Simultaneously, in 25 states across India and key international hubs including New York, Boston, Toronto, Washington DC, Melbourne, and London, supporters will extend their support to Kejriwal through community fasting,” Rai said at a press conference.
Rai called on people “who want to save the country’s democracy” and who are against Kejriwal’s detention to join in communal fasts in a variety of places, such as residences, villages, neighbourhoods, block headquarters, tehsils, districts, and state capitals.
Rai’s Call for Communal Support
In an effort to show support for Kejriwal, he also urged people to join in communal prayer or to listen to the devotional hymn “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram” on YouTube. “You can sing it collectively. Together, we will pray for Kejriwal to receive strength and fight against tyranny while he is in jail. We can fight to bring the truth to light,” he added.
Opposition to Kejriwal’s Detention
Photographs of those refusing to let up in opposition to Kejriwal’s detention should be sent to kejriwalkoaashirvaad.com. The Enforcement Directorate detained Arvind Kejriwal last month in connection with a money laundering investigation involving the now-canceled excise proposal. His judicial custody is in effect until April 15. Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, and Kejriwal, the former cabinet minister, are all detained in Tihar jail.
Kejriwal’s resignation as chief minister of Delhi has been demanded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the interim. Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate objected to Kejriwal’s appeal in municipal court to be allowed to spend more time with his attorney, claiming that he should not be granted special treatment only because he wants to run the government from behind bars.
Equal Treatment in Jail
“When a person is in jail his stature outside is irrelevant and he is treated equally (like other prisoners). They have already been allowed two meetings in a week. One of the consequences of JC (judicial custody) is that your exposure to the outside world is limited and in accordance with law. Merely because someone chooses to run the government from the prison he cannot be treated as an exception and cannot be granted the privilege,” the ED’s counsel told the judge.