INDIA bloc to protest at Jantar Mantar today over declining Arvind Kejriwal's health in Tihar jail
Without giving names, AAP announced that top leaders are expected to join the protest. Kejriwal will be under judicial custody till August 8.
Major parties of the Opposition's INDIA bloc, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday over Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's deteriorating health in the Tihar jail.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to kill the Delhi chief minister in jail by pointing out to his medical reports that indicate his blood sugar levels have dropped 34 times between June 3 and July 7.
Also read | LG’s office blames ‘wilful’ low food intake for Kejriwal’s weight loss, AAP hits back
On July 15, Delhi minister Atishi has alleged rapid and unexplained weight loss in Arvind Kejriwal and held the BJP responsible for anything that could happen to him. “If he gets a stroke, or brain damage, who will be responsible? From March 21, his weight has gone down by 8.5kg. The day ED arrested him, his weight was 70kg and after his medical checkup in Tihar jail, his weight was 61.5kg,” she alleged.
Arvind Kejriwal is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over allegations of corruption and money laundering in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy. He was arrested in March 21 by the ED over money laundering. The chief minister is under judicial custody in Tihar jail after the CBI opened an investigation into allegations of corruption in the same case.
Also read | 'Arvind Kejriwal sutradhaar of excise policy scam': CBI tells Delhi HC
A Delhi court on July 23 had extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal till August 8. The court also extended the judicial custody till July 31 in a money laundering case being probed by the ED. Terming Arvind Kejriwal as the "sutradhaar" (facilitator) of corruption in the alleged liquor scam, the CBI on Monday filed its fifth and final charge sheet and promised to push for an early trial.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh announced on Monday that top leaders of the INDIA bloc would participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar. "Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, DMK, CPI, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation. We are in talks with two to three more parties," he said.