'EVEN THE BRITISH RULE...': AAP ALLEGES ATISHI REMOVED FROM KEJRIWAL'S VISITORS' LIST AT LAST MOMENT

New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh - who has emerged as the face of protests of his party over the arrest of his party boss and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal - has claimed that the officials at Tihar jail cancelled a meeting between Delhi Minister Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal at the last moment. "Even the British rule did not see this kind of behaviour," he said.

Atishi, whose name was added after Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj's name on the list of visitors for Kejriwal, was scheduled to meet the Delhi CM on April 29, news agency PTI reported.

Addressing a press conference, Singh said that Atishi's name was removed at the last moment. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said that "no reason was given" for cancellation of the meeting.

"After her meeting was cancelled, party national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak was supposed to accompany Bharadwaj, but he was informed around 9.30 am today that even his meeting was cancelled," he added.

PTI reported that Pathak himself did not come.

Singh questioned the reasons behind the move and feared that Kejriwal might not even be allowed to meet his wife in future.

"You are cancelling an MP's meeting, a minister's meeting with Kejriwal. You had cancelled my meeting with him earlier. Tomorrow you might cancel the meeting with his wife. Even the British rule did not see this kind of behaviour," he said.

An inmate is allowed to write down the names of 10 people, including his family, whom he is allowed to meet, he said.

"If any prisoner wants to meet any of these, he cannot be stopped from meeting these people," he added.

Singh said that he would seek a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to discuss the issue.

"He is being meted out worse treatment than the one meted out to terrorists or hardcore criminals. They are allowed to meet in person their lawyers and their families but you are stopping his meetings," he said.

"If he kept asking for insulin for 23 days and you did not provide it to him, why is he being provided the same insulin after 23 days? This means that we were right throughout that the CM's life was being played with, a deep conspiracy was being hatched to kill him, which we have been saying again and again," Singh said.

Earlier in the day, Bharadwaj had a 30-minute-long meeting with Kejriwal in the 'mulakat jangla' - an iron mesh which separates the inmate from the visitor in a room inside the jail. Bhardwaj said Kejriwal is strong and he will continue his fight with the blessings of the people of Delhi," he told reporters after the meeting.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on March 21.

The chief minister has not stepped down post his arrest with the AAP asserting that he would continue to run the government from jail.

Insulin Issue Not Mentioned Even Once In Kejriwal's 40-Min Meeting With AIIMS Doctors: Sources

Last week, Arvind Kejriwal was provided video consultation with senior specialists from AIIMS, during which he was assured that there was "no serious concern" regarding his health, sources at Tihar jail said. The issue of insulin - a key issue raised by AAP - was not raised by Kejriwal nor the doctors, the source said.

During the consultation, which spanned over 40 minutes, Kejriwal was advised to continue with the prescribed medicines, the source said.

"The video consultation was organised by the Tihar Jail Administration on a request by Sunita Kejriwal. Apart from Senior Specialist from AIIMS, RMO Tihar and MO Tihar were present. The Senior Specialist from AIIMS asked for and was provided with complete record of CGM (Glucose Monitoring Sensor) and details of diet and medicines being taken by Shri Kejriwal," the official said.

'Aam Nahi Khaunga, Kya Mushroom Khaunga?'

Arvind Kejriwal, who has Type 2 diabetes, has been accused by the Enforcement Directorate of putting his health at risk by consuming mangoes and sweetened tea in jail. The AAP leader has hit back at the agency, saying "They are saying aam aadmi aam kha raha hai. Kya khayenge? Mushroom? Aaj Hindustan Times me aadha page bhara hua hai."

The remarks were made by Kejriwal's counsel Advocate Ramesh Gupta during a hearing in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on the CM's plea requesting a virtual consultation with his regular doctors for 15 minutes daily. Kejriwal moved a fresh plea on Friday, withdrawing the earlier one that had sought doctor consultations thrice a week.

Kejriwal's new plea - which also sought direction to Tihar officials to administer insulin to the diabetic patient - came after the ED, while opposing his earlier plea, presented a detailed diet chart of the home-cooked food being consumed by the CM in jail, and accused him of ruining his health to seek a medical bail.

Presenting the diet chart, the ED accused the CM of consuming sweetened tea, and mangoes and bananas despite being a diabetic.

"I have been suffering from diabetes from past 22 years. He gets insulin everyday. The same doctor under whom Kejriwal was being treated before his arrest should be allowed to consult. I should be tested regularly so that his alarming blood sugar can be controlled," senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, while appearing for Kejriwal, said questioning ED's submissions.

"The allegation is that I have been consuming mangoes. Out of 48 meals sent from home, only three times mangoes were there. They want to do a media trial. Their submission was only for media news.

"The mangoes have been made to look like sugar bullets. How ridiculous this is?" Singhvi asked.

2024-04-25T02:39:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd