The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
‘Treated like terrorist’: Mann after meeting Kejriwal in Tihar jail
AFTER MEETING Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Monday, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann said the jail administration treated the two chief ministers not as leaders but like “big terrorists” as they were made to speak on the phone through a glass wall.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the excise policy case and is currently under judicial custody in Tihar. On Monday, his custody was extended till April 23 by a city court.
An emotional mann said ,“the glass wall was so smudged that seeing each other’s faces was difficult... Such treatment is meted out to big-time criminals... Modi ji chahte kya hai?... aise treatment milni chahiye ek CM ko?...”
“What is his fault? He made schools and mohalla clinics and gave free electricity to people... They are treating him as if (he is a) dreaded terrorist,” he added.
Reading from the jail manual, Mann said, “It says well-behaved prisoners can be allowed to have face-to-face meetings with visitors. When Chidambaram ji was in prison, Sonia Gandhi ji was allowed to meet him one-on-one. Parkash Singh Badal was allowed to have a face-to-face meeting in a room... Pata nahi, humse kya dushmani hai inko (I can’t figure out what enmity they have with us).”
When he asked Kejriwal how he was doing, Mann said the AAP chief did not talk about himself. “He asked me about Punjab — how farmers are doing... about mohalla clinics, and if the people are getting free electricity timely. These were his concerns...”
Mann also said Kejriwal has assigned him the task of campaigninginstateswheretheparty is contesting the Lok Sabha polls and handling meetings of the INDIA bloc. “... I informed him that I have been to Assam, and will be going to Gujarat for campaigning,” he said, adding that he will soon start campaigning in Delhi.
He also stressed the fact that AAP is united: “We are standing with him like a rock. Remember onjune4,whentheresultswillbe announced, AAP will emerge as a big political power.”