Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stepped out of Tihar Jail after almost 50 days late on Friday evening only to be treated like a hero who's returned home alive after a war.
“I am fighting against this dictatorship, but I need your support," he told tens of thousands of his supporters who thronged the capital's streets on Saturday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader came out campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections for the first time this year, marking one of the most dramatic days in Indian politics.
The day started with Kejriwal visiting the old Hanuman Temple in central Delhi’s Connaught Place area with his wife Sunita and Punjab's Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. This visit showed their hope and courage as they got ready to meet the people and the press.
Kejriwal's campaign moved through the busy streets of Mehrauli in south Delhi, drawing crowds eager to see the leader challenging the status quo. He spoke about bringing change and uniting against what he called a "tough system" hurting the country.
Throughout the day, Kejriwal spoke with determination and optimism. "They're trying to block our work, and that's bad for the country," he pointed out, criticizing the actions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against his team.
During a press briefing, Kejriwal said, "The BJP sent four of our top leaders to jail — Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendar Jain. This was an attempt by them to crush us. PM Modi wants to crush AAP because he knows that we can bring about a bright future for the country. Modi ji has a very dangerous plan — the plan of One Nation One Leader.”
Kejriwal's presence has clearly provided a major boost to the INDIA bloc, an alliance of 32 opposition parties, with the general elections right at the midway point.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) "won't get more than 230 seats," Kejriwal said, adding that the "INDIA bloc will form the government" when the results are declared on June 4.
The BJP hit back, with party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi labeling Kejriwal a member of the "jail return club," comparing him to other politicians who've landed in legal troubles like Lalu Prasad Yadav, Jayalalithaa, and Shibhu Soren.
Reacting to Kejriwal's statement that Modi will retire as the country's PM when he turns 75 next year to make way for BJP chief Amit Shah to take his place, Trivedi said: "We would like to say one thing, whether it was the effect of his alcohol or the place he had gone to. One thing came out of his mouth correctly. He said that PM Modi would become the Prime Minister, and after that, so and so would be made the Prime Minister. For this, I want to thank him for accepting today that Narendra Modi is going to become the Prime Minister of India again."
