New Delhi: Just a day after being granted interim bail, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited a temple and will hold mega roadshows in the national capital later today. In his first public remarks after being released, Mr Kejriwal urged voters to "save the country from dictatorship".
The Supreme Court has granted Mr Kejriwal bail till June 1 to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Arvind Kejriwal is a key leader in the INDIA alliance formed to compete against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the polls.
The Aam Aadmi Party chief was greeted by more than 1,000 exuberant supporters as he walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday evening. "We have to save this country from dictatorship," he told the crowd. "I am fighting against it with all of my might."
Today, he visited the Hanuman Temple in Delhi's Connaught Place and hold a roadshow in South Delhi. The Chief Minister is also scheduled to hold a press conference later in the day at the Aam Aadmi Party office in Delhi.
The party is expected to project Mr Kejriwal in their poll campaigns nationwide now, with the fourth phase of polling scheduled to be held on on May 13.
Voting on all 7 Lok Sabha seats in New Delhi will be held on May 25.
A wave of jubilation swept across the INDIA bloc parties as the news of Mr Kejriwal's release spread, with his AAP terming it a "triumph of truth".
"Truth can be troubled but not defeated. The decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court is welcome. The dictatorship will end. Satyamev Jayate," AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, also an accused in the money laundering case, said in a post in Hindi on X.
However, Home Minister Amit Shah sought to downplay his release.
"This is not regular bail. It is an interim bail. He can campaign but every time he goes to campaign, people will be reminded of the excise scam," he said in West Bengal's Raniganj.
Arvind Kejriwal and the Delhi government were accused of corruption when it implemented a policy to liberalise the sale of liquor in 2021 and give up a lucrative government stake in the sector.
The policy was withdrawn the following year, but the resulting probe into the alleged corrupt allocation of licences has since led to the jailing of two top Kejriwal allies.