'Tihar Under Delhi Govt And Kejriwal Is CM, Is He Trying To Kill Himself': Amit Shah Reacts To Conspiracy Charge

Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah, in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, rubbished the claims of Delhi Chief Minister (CM) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, that there was a conspiracy to kill him in jail. He said the Tihar jail, where Kejriwal is lodged, comes under the Delhi government, whose CM is Kejriwal.

“Look, Tihar Jail comes under the Delhi government, whose Chief Minister is Kejriwal ji. So is he conspiring to kill himself,” asked Shah.

When further questioned about claims that the DG Prisons reports to Delhi Police, Shah said, “Not at all. Prisons report straight to the Delhi government.”

When asked about the Centre’s role in it, he said, “No question at all.”

When asked about the Supreme Court’s questioning of the timing of the arrest of Kejriwal by Enforcement Directorate, Shah said, “ED will explain that before the Supreme Court. If they had appeared [before the agency] after the first summons, they would have been arrested six months before the elections. Many times summonses were sent, but they did not come.”

Kejriwal, who has been in judicial custody since April 1 and will remain there till May 7, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the ED. He was arrested under stringent sections of the PMLA for his alleged involvement in money laundering linked to the now scrapped Delhi Excise policy. His party has been claiming that the arrest was illegal and that he was not being given adequate medical attention in jail.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna of the Supreme Court asked on Tuesday: “Liberty is very exceedingly important, you can’t deny that. The last question is with regard to the timing of the arrest, which they have pointed out, the timing of the arrest, soon before the general elections.”

Watch the full interview on CNN-News18 at 9pm on Thursday.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.