New Delhi:
Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested for leading a march towards Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence, has refused to leave Bawana jail. The activist-turned-politician, who was detained along with several supporters - many of them with special needs - on Friday afternoon, is adamant that Law Minister Salman Khurshid be sacked and has decided to stay put at the makeshift jail till his demand is met with.
Mr Khurshid is in the middle of a raging controversy over alleged financial malpractices by an NGO - headed by him and run by his wife, Louise - that is meant to help special-needs people in his home state of Uttar Pradesh. Mr Kejriwal has been demanding that the minister should either quit or be fired.
"Both the minister and his wife are influential people and they can tamper with evidence," Mr Kejriwal said. Fresh from launching an as-yet-unnamed political party, Mr Kejriwal had marched towards the Prime Minister's residence at 7, Race Course Road yesterday but was stopped by the police who detained him along with other activists and took him to the makeshift jail at Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Bawana.
In a late night tweet, Mr Kejriwal alleged that the police were "selectively picking up volunteers and beating them up" to "terrorise" them. "If the government thinks that they can silence us, they are mistaken. Every such incident will strengthen our resolve to fight for our country," he said.
Police, however, denied the allegations.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Kejriwal, who gathered at the Jantar Mantar along with other activists after being stopped by the police, called on his supporters to "turn this into Tahrir Square". Later, supporters of the activist-turned-politician punctured a tyre of the bus that was leading him away, prompting his transfer to another vehicle. As he was being driven away, Mr Kejriwal, referring to Mr Khurshid, said, "Those who fight corruption are being jailed. And a corrupt minister is free."
Mr Kejriwal wanted the Prime Minister to meet differently-abled people today, but was refused an appointment. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said that the request for the meeting was made on Friday morning, and that the Prime Minister had a full day.
Mr Kejriwal says that the Law Minister must be removed because a sting carried on a Hindi news channel earlier this week proved large-scale embezzlement of funds by his NGO. The channel claims that the NGO, which is run by Mr Khurshid's wife, forged signatures of government officials to attest that the funds were being used as intended.
Mr Khurshid has denied the charges. On Friday, he described Mr Kejriwal as a "man possessed not with any noble idea but burning ambition for which he will destroy whatever is in his path." He added that Mr Kejriwal should be aware that "the free ride is over" and that he will battle his allegations legally and on public platforms.
(With PTI inputs)