Arvind Kejriwal is in the ED's custody after his arrest in Delhi liquor policy case
Two days after his first order, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued his second order from inside the Enforcement Directorate's lock-up. The Chief Minister's fresh direction, shared by Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, was to ensure the availability of free medicines and pathological tests at government-run Mohalla clinics.
Mr Bharadwaj said the Chief Minister wants to ensure that no Delhi resident faces any inconvenience because he is behind the bars.
"Irrespective of whether he is in or out, whenever an underprivileged person goes to a government hospital to get medicines, he/she should get it. A middle class person can buy medicines, but lakhs of underprivileged families in Delhi are completely dependent on government hospitals and Mohalla clinics for medicines. Some of these medicines need to be taken lifelong," Mr Bharadwaj, in charge of health portfolio, said at a press meet.
He added that many people are dependent on the Delhi government's Mohalla clinics for regular blood tests. "The Chief Minister has received information about problems in the free test facility in some Mohalla clinics. So, he has asked me to ensure that all hospitals and Mohalla clinics provide tests and medicines for free. For us, his direction is like an order from God. And we will act on this on a war footing," he said.
Mr Bharadwaj said Mr Kejriwal is in jail, but he is thinking about Delhi residents every moment. "His sole concern is that no service is affected in his absence. We are his soldiers and we will work round the clock, but we will ensure that Delhiites face no inconvenience."
Earlier, on Sunday, Delhi minister Atishi had shared the Chief Minister's first direction from inside the lock-up.
Ms Atishi had said Mr Kejriwal had asked to ensure adequate water supply to areas facing a shortage and to tackle sewer problems.
"Arvind Kejriwal ji has sent me a letter and a direction. On reading it, I was in tears. I kept thinking who is this man, who is in prison, but is still thinking about Delhi residents' water and sewage problems. Only Arvind Kejriwal can do this because he considers himself a family member of Delhi's 2 crore people," she said.
Responding to this, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said a "script has been written" by AAP. "This comes after no one in Delhi came to his (Kejriwal) support. The public didn't express sorrow at his arrest. In fact, they are celebrating, distributing sweets, and bursting crackers that the man who made Delhi cry is behind bars now," the MP from North East Delhi claimed. On the AAP stressing the Mr Kejriwal will run the government from jail, Mr Tiwari has said "gangs are run from jail, not governments".
The Chief Minister is in a week-long custody of the Enforcement Directorate after the central agency arrested him late on Thursday night in a money laundering case related to Delhi's now-scrapped liquor policy. Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have been arrested in this case. The AAP has denied all allegations and accused the BJP-led Centre of using probe agencies for political motives. The party has also said that Mr Kejriwal will continue to work as Chief Minister from the lock-up.