2 crore people shouldn't face trouble, go to them, Kejriwal tells MLAs

Arvind Kejriwal has asked Aam Aadmi Party MLAs to visit their constituencies daily and ensure people do not face problems, his wife Sunita Kejriwal said on Thursday, as she conveyed the Delhi chief minister's message from Tihar jail.

In a digital briefing, she said that Kejriwal, in his message, said even though he is in jail, the two crore people of Delhi, who are his family, should not face any problems.

"We need to solve their problems apart from official work," Sunita Kejriwal said while delivering the AAP chief's message.

Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case linked to the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy, is in judicial custody till April 15.

"The people of Delhi should not face any trouble because I am in jail. The two crore people of Delhi are my family, no one in my family should be sad for any reason. God bless everyone," the chief minister said in his message.

During the briefing, Sunita Kejriwal had in the background portraits of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar, flanking a photograph of Kejriwal in jail.

The backdrop drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the AAP of hurting people's sentiments and demanded that Kejriwal's photograph be immediately removed.

"Kejriwal is a corruption accused and by putting up his photograph between those of patriots such as Shaheed-e-Azam (Bharat Singh) and Dr Ambedkar, the AAP has insulted their dignity," alleged Virendra Sachdeva, the BJP's Delhi unit chief.

Senior AAP leader Atishi alleged that the BJP-led Centre has sent Kejriwal to jail under false charges.

"Kejriwal is the symbol of the current struggle against the BJP's dictatorship. His photograph at our offices is to remind us that the struggle against the BJP is no less than the freedom movement," she told reporters.

An official statement said despite being in jail, the chief minister is concerned about the two crore people of Delhi rather than himself. He spoke to his wife through videoconferencing and, during this conversation, sent a message to all AAP MLAs through her.

Kejriwal has so far sent four messages, first from ED custody and then from Tihar jail since his arrest on March 21.

In his first message on March 23 , the chief minister had assured the women of Delhi that he would fulfil the promise of providing them a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,000.

In all his messages, he has reiterated his resolve to serve the two crore people of Delhi, the statement said.

In his messages to water minister Atishi and health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, Kejriwal asked them to address the problems of sewer and water and ensure there was no lack of medicines and lab tests in hospitals and clinics run by the Delhi government.