“Politics is getting smaller, leaders are staying healthy”
The clash between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres during the last week, which was mostly characterized by comments and counterstatements, took on an unusual tone. The counterstatements said that the inmates’ health was OK, despite the AAP’s allegations that its leaders were ailing and losing weight while detained.
Minister Atishi of Delhi said shortly after Kejriwal’s detention that the Chief Minister had lost 4.5 kg and that his health was failing. On the microblogging platform X, she said, “He works nonstop to serve the country despite his health issues.” Following his apprehension, Arvind Kejriwal has shed 4.5 kilograms. This is quite concerning. His health is being jeopardised by the BJP. Even God would not pardon them if anything were to happen to Arvind Kejriwal, not just the nation.
Officials from the prison refuted this. “When Arvind Kejriwal arrived on April 1, 2024, he was checked up by two physicians, and everything seemed normal. Additionally, he has maintained a steady weight of 65 kg ever since entering the penitentiary. Food prepared at home is served in accordance with a court order. According to the prison statement, “his vital statistics are normal.” That was not the end of it.
When he was imprisoned in March of this year, Sanjay Singh, another AAP politician, said he was denied access to basic necessities including clean drinking water, a healthy meal, and sanitary living circumstances. Subsequently, a Delhi court ordered the relevant authorities to provide Singh bottled water and a wholesome, balanced food.
A Tihar prison record made available to the public after Singh was granted freedom earlier this month revealed that the AAP MP had put on almost six kg of weight during his six-month incarceration. Additionally, the record indicated that he had improved in terms of health while there. According to the paper, Singh’s blood pressure decreased from 153/103 to 136/70 mm Hg and his body weight climbed from 76 kg to 82 kg between October 2023 and April 2024.
Politics has lost its seriousness, as seen by this pointless argument about a very serious corruption scandal involving senior AAP officials, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP leadership’s attempt to acquire political leverage by initiating a health bulletin discussion in an effort to counter the accusations and negative media coverage—which they faced due to the courts’ lack of intervention—was not very successful.
Since the Liquor Scam became widely known, the AAP’s greatest weakness has been its erratic position on the issue and frequent shifting of the objectives. AAP leadership has dodged responsibility in this issue, from declaring it to be the finest excise policy in the nation to accusing previous Lieutenant Governot of putting it into effect.
According to the AAP, the situation has become worse since Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal refused to step down after being taken into custody. Even those who disagree with the Narendra Modi government’s tactics of releasing agents on opposition politicians before to the elections believe that Kejriwal ought to have resigned rather than taking the legal stance in this case.
As events have developed, Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal’s private secretary, has been let go from the ministry. This indicates that all personal employees have been “ceansed” from the CM’s residential office, since several advisors and consultants have been let go in the last year. By Kejiwal’s own admission, the Delhi government officers in charge of his offices at his house and secretariat are loyal to the Lieutenant Governor.
Right now, everyone is focused on Kejriwal’s Supreme Court suit. If the court permits him to go, the AAP would gain momentum to push on in the event that the Supreme Court grants no relief, signaling the beginning of the end for the AAP government.
