Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has accused the BJP-led central government of conspiring to kill Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently in Tihar jail following his arrest in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. At a press conference on Sunday, Bharadwaj criticized the prison administration, alleging inadequate medical facilities for Kejriwal, who is diabetic.
Bharadwaj shared a letter purportedly written by the director general of prisons to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), requesting the appointment of a senior diabetologist for Kejriwal. He claimed that the BJP’s assertions of adequate medical care in Tihar jail were contradicted by this letter. According to Bharadwaj, “The DG of Tihar jail yesterday wrote to AIIMS that we need a diabetologist, this exposed the BJP, as they were claiming to have all specialists and insulin available in jail while Arvind Kejriwal is being denied essential treatment.”
The AAP leader also suggested manipulation in Kejriwal’s treatment, arguing that a regular doctor’s recommendations were being used to deny the chief minister his necessary insulin. “A normal doctor, I don’t know how he is there in jail, on his recommendations all these manipulations are being done, and the elected CM of Delhi is being denied Insulin,” he said. AAP has repeatedly accused the jail administration of depriving Kejriwal, who suffers from Type-2 diabetes, of insulin and other medical necessities.
These accusations follow a report submitted by Tihar jail authorities to Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena, suggesting that Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels were not alarming and that he did not require insulin when arrested. The report noted that Kejriwal had stopped taking insulin shots months before his arrest on March 21. Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed that Kejriwal had been consuming mangoes, aloo-poori, and sugar in tea to elevate his blood sugar levels to create grounds for medical bail, a claim the Delhi CM vehemently refuted.
The controversy has triggered a heated debate over the treatment of high-profile prisoners and raised questions about the medical care provided in Tihar jail. AAP leaders have warned of dire consequences if Kejriwal’s health deteriorates, accusing the jail authorities of pushing him towards “slow death” by denying insulin and proper medical attention.
