Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
Two days after a farmer hanged himself in front of thousands of people at his rally in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today apologised for not stopping the event and making a speech after the incident.
"I think I was wrong, I should not have spoken. I didn't think of it at that time. I apologise if I hurt anyone," Mr Kejriwal, who has confronted searing criticism over the past two days, said in an
interview to news agency ANI today.
"No one expected him to actually commit suicide," he admitted, saying he had spent two sleepless nights.
Gajendra Singh, a 42-year-old farmer from Rajasthan, climbed a tree and hanged himself in full public view at the rally organised by Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to oppose the central government's proposal to make it easier to buy farmland for development projects.
In the 25 minutes that Gajendra was on the tree, no AAP volunteer or policeman was seen stopping him.
(Read) The Delhi Police has said in an FIR or police complaint that AAP workers didn't cooperate in saving the man and even clapped and cheered, which instigated the farmer.
Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders were on stage when the man tied a noose out of his white scarf and stepped off a branch. After he was taken to hospital, Mr Kejriwal made a speech in which he blamed the Delhi Police.
Today, he said: "Let's not blame each other and say all policemen are bad. The police are investigating, the district magistrate is investigating. Hang whoever is guilty."
He denounced the "drama" over the incident and said politicians and the media should focus on farmer suicides and how to stop them.
Reacting to his apology, the BJP's Nalin Kohli said, "He should reflect on that day. We don't accept the apology. He is trying to justify himself."