"There can be no bigger contempt (of the Supreme Court) than this."
Home Minister Amit Shah slammed Arvind Kejriwal over his "won't have to go to jail if you vote for me" appeal to the public during a roadshow earlier this week in Amritsar and said that there can be "no bigger contempt of the Supreme Court than this."
In an interview with ANI, Amit Shah questioned Kejriwal's campaign plea "There can be no bigger contempt (of the Supreme Court) than this. Will the Supreme Court make decisions on crime based on (electoral) victory or defeat? I am not saying it; Kejriwal ji is saying it."
"I have not heard it (Arvind Kejriwal's remarks). You said I read it in the newspaper. But, if he has said so, then it is a very wrong comment on the functioning of the Supreme Court," Mr Shah added.
He was responding to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's "If you vote for me, I will not have to go to jail" remark.
"I am coming straight from jail to you. It's in your hands that I will go to jail or not. Before pressing the button, remember whether you're pressing it for my freedom or for sending me back to jail," Delhi CM Kejriwal had said during a road show in Amritsar on Thursday. He was accompanied by his counterpart in Punjab, Bhagwant Mann.
Reacting to the Supreme Court's verdict granting Kejriwal interim bail in the case, Home Minister Amit Shah said, "I don't want to comment on the SC's verdict. But the way the leaders of AAP are claiming the court's decision as Kejriwal's victory, I want to explain this. What was their plea before the SC? They said that his arrest was illegal but the top court dismissed it. Then they modified their plea and asked for bail; the court rejected that too. The Supreme Court said that as per your demand to campaign in elections, we are giving you interim bail and you have to surrender on June 1."
The Home Minister also took a dig at Arvind Kejriwal's campaign saying that people would only remember the Liquor scam when they saw him campaigning.
"I think wherever he'll go for the poll campaign, the people will remember the liquor scam, even in Punjab. People will also see big bottles in front of them when they see Kejriwal."
Arvind Kejriwal has launched several attacks on the BJP after his release from jail. He was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 1 in a money laundering case related to the now-scraped Delhi excise policy.
The polling for the National Capital is scheduled for May 20 in the fifth phase. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases in a six-week marathon running from April 19 to June 1. The counting results will be declared on June 4.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)