A controversy has erupted over the treatment of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s diabetes in Tihar Jail, with jail authorities stating that Kejriwal did not require insulin based on a report by doctors from RML Hospital. According to the report, accessed by news agency ANI, Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels were not considered alarming, and he was advised oral anti-diabetic drugs rather than insulin.
The row comes as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that the prison authorities denied insulin to Kejriwal as part of a conspiracy to harm the Delhi chief minister. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which arrested Kejriwal in a money-laundering case related to the Delhi liquor probe, alleged that Kejriwal was consuming high-sugar foods with the intention of spiking his blood sugar levels to seek bail on medical grounds.
In the report, it is stated that Kejriwal was part of an insulin-reversal program and had stopped taking insulin well before his arrest, relying only on the oral anti-diabetes medication Metformin. The report also mentioned that medical examinations conducted at RML Hospital did not indicate any requirement for insulin. It said, “It is incorrect to state that Kejriwal was denied insulin at any point of time during his treatment.”
The report highlighted that Kejriwal was consuming high-sugar foods, such as sweets, bananas, mangoes, fruit chaat, namkeen, sweet tea, poori-aloo, and pickles, as he was allowed home food during his incarceration. The AAP refuted these claims, asserting that the sweets he consumed contained artificial sweeteners permissible for diabetic patients, and the poori-aloo was eaten only on the occasion of Navratri.
Delhi Minister Atishi criticized the jail report, claiming it was part of a larger conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Kejriwal. She said, “Tihar jail’s report shows BJP’s conspiracy. Any doctor will say that a blood sugar level of 300 is dangerous. The attempt to murder CM Kejriwal in jail is going on at the behest of the BJP.” She added that Kejriwal had been taking insulin for 12 years, and there should be no difficulty in administering it to him while in jail.
The controversy over Kejriwal’s diabetes treatment and diet reflects the political tensions surrounding his arrest and the subsequent developments in the Delhi liquor probe. With conflicting narratives from different sources, the situation has generated considerable public and political debate.
