Even as its leader Arvind Kejriwal spent Wednesday night in Tihar jail after being arrested in a defamation case, the Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday decided that instead of organising a protest against Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest, the party will launch a door-to-door campaign to inform people about the reasons why the AAP leader chose not to submit bail bond and instead went to jail. Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav was given bail late on Thursday afternoon after he submitted a bail bond.
“Through the door-to-door campaign we will inform people in Delhi how an honest man like Mr. Kejriwal had to go to jail just because he raised the issue of corruption. We would also expose our rivals’ bluff and allegations where they are describing Mr. Kejriwal’s principled stand a drama,” senior AAP leader Ashutosh told The Hindu .
Mr. Ashutosh said that the decision not to protest and launch a contact programme was taken in a meeting of top AAP leadership with Mr. Kejriwal at Tihar Jail on Thursday morning.
"Also, in this campaign we will share evidences which prove the allegation of corruption against Mr. Gadkari. The fact of the matter is that he had to step down from the post of BJP president because of the cases of corruption," added Mr. Ashutosh.
The former Chief Minister of Delhi was sent to Tihar Jail till May 23 by a Delhi court on Wednesday after he refused to furnish bail bond in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
Before chalking out its strategy AAP leadership is also waiting to see what would be Court’s decision on Friday when Mr. Kejriwal will be presented in the court for hearing. The AAP leadership have decided to discuss the court’s order with its workers in a “karyakarta sammelan” on Friday.
During a press interaction on Thursday senior AAP leader and Mr. Kejriwal’s lawyer Prashant Bhushan described the court’s order as “erroneous” and said, “The court order is based on the logic that in the case concerned there are just two options, either to furnish bail bonds or to go to jail, which is completely wrong. We will put these nuances in the court tomorrow,” he said.
At the court
Meanwhile police on Thursday afternoon presented in Delhi court several AAP workers including senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, who were detained while protesting outside Tihar Jail where the police had invoked prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC (prohibition of unlawful assembly). Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav told the court that the police had not informed him about Section 144 of IPC (Unlawful Assembly) having been invoked. Mr Yadav was given bail after furnishing bail bond. Earlier, 58 of 59 AAP workers arrested were released from police custody on bail as well.
Delhi's former law minister AAP leader Somnath Bharti was also present at the court.
This article has been corrected for a factual error.
