DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

BJP is losing ground across the country and will not win more than 230 seats all told, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed on Tuesday, as he called on the people of Haryana to start the "revolution" to unseat the saffron party-led alliance from the Centre. Kejriwal made the remarks in a roadshow for party candidate Sushil Gupta in Kurukshetra's Pehowa, where he attacked the BJP-led Centre for his jailing, claiming it is scared of him.

This was Kejriwal's first visit to Haryana after being released on bail.

Gupta, the AAP's Kurukshetra Lok Sabha candidate, accompanied Kejriwal during the roadshow.

The Aam Aadmi Party national convenor was granted interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court on May 10 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

Addressing a gathering during his roadshow, Kejriwal said, "On March 16, elections were announced. On March 21, they sent me to jail. This means they wanted Kejriwal to not campaign. They are scared of Kejriwal." He said the Narendra Modi government has lost ground and named several states where the BJP's seats, according to him, were declining.

"In the entire country, the situation is turning against them. BJP is losing badly ? In Haryana, Rajasthan they are losing; in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, their seats are coming down. No where there is an increase in their seats.

"They claim they will win 400 seats. Today I can tell you in writing that they are not winning more than 230 seats," Kejriwal said.

He exhorted the public to throw the BJP-led alliance from power, and with it, Modi's "dictatorship." "History is witness, whenever there has been a revolution in the country, it has started from the brave land of Haryana. The campaign to end the dictatorship from this country should begin from Haryana," he said, adding, he was sure of a clean sweep in the state and ultimate victory of the INDIA bloc.

Kejriwal said he felt "sad" when the farmers, three years ago, were stopped at Delhi's borders and prevented from entering the national capital for their agitation.

"I felt very bad, but I could not have my way because the Delhi Police is not under us. They dug iron nails on roads ? 'China jab hamari zameen hadapta hai unke liye keelen nahi thokte,'" he said, referring to the allegations of land grab by China in Ladakh.

"But they placed large nails, cement boulders for farmers. They did not let farmers enter Delhi as if farmers were their enemies ? 'Inke Pitaji ki Delhi hai?'" he said.

Delhi belongs to the 140 crore people of the country and not to any specific group, he added. "This time oust them from Delhi by voting them out." The Delhi CM also championed the women wrestlers who sat on protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar last year against several alleged instances of sexual assault against former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The protesters were met with stiff resistance from the Delhi Police during their weeks-long sit-in, at least once leading to a skirmish.

"What they did with our wrestler daughters, did you see that or not?" Kejriwal asked the public.

"The person against whom fingers were pointed, his son was rewarded with a ticket," he said without naming anyone.

The BJP has fielded Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's son Karan Bhushan Singh from UP's Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat. The decision has reignited allegations of callousness towards women by the BJP.

Referring to the BJP manifesto, Kejriwal said all of Modi's "guarantees" are fake.

"Earlier, a guarantee was given by them that Rs 15 lakh will be deposited in every person's account, also of giving two crore jobs every year ? but they never came good on those guarantees," he said and asked the public to repose their faith in "Kejriwal ki Guarantee." Kejriwal, who will be out till June 1, said it's up to the people to decide whether he goes back to jail or not. "Now, it is up to you ? when you go to vote, think in your hearts if Kejriwal has to be sent to jail or not."

He said he had to go to prison because he created good schools, Mohalla Clinics, free electricity and free water. "This is my fault." A diabetic, Kejriwal alleged that when he was in jail, the prison authorities stopped his insulin for 15 days even when he was supposed to take it every day.

"My blood sugar levels rose to 300-350 and I told them it would cause damage to my liver and kidney. This was the treatment they meted out to me," he said.

Voting for all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will be held in the sixth of the seven phase general election on May 25.

AAP, a constituent of the INDIA bloc is fighting Kurukshetra seat while the remaining nine seats in Haryana are being contested by Congress.
(editor@dailyworld.in)