Hours after a Delhi court reserved its order on an interim bail plea filed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on health grounds, former Union Minister and BJP leader Vijay Goel on Saturday took an ambulance to his residence in Civil Lines to conduct “medical tests”.
However, the ambulance was stopped by the police en route to the CM House.
“This ambulance was to take Kejriwal to any hospital where all his tests can be done within two to four hours,” Mr. Goel told reporters, adding that the Chief Minister should stop doing “drama” and go with him for medical tests if he was concerned about his health.
Mr. Kejriwal, who is due to return to Tihar Jail on Sunday morning following the expiration of the 21-day interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court on May 10, had claimed on Saturday that he had lost seven kg during his 50-day custody, and was suffering from a variety of medical ailments, including diabetes. He had added that despite the “torturous treatment” meted out to him in prison, he would leave his house at 3 p.m. on Sunday to surrender to the jail authorities.
‘Fake illness’
Meanwhile, leaders of the BJP’s Delhi unit said they were “shocked” by Mr. Kejriwal, who had been campaigning for the INDIA bloc “in the best of health” for the last 20 days during the Lok Sabha election, but was now claiming to be seriously ill and seeking medical bail.
“It’s strange that a man who actively campaigns in the scorching heat before the media wants the same media to run news on his fake illness,” said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, adding that Mr. Kejriwal has been “shamelessly fighting the courts” and flouting orders to get an extension on his interim bail.
“If even an iota of moral value is left in Arvind Kejriwal, he should stop faking illness and indulging in legal melodrama, and rightfully surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities early tomorrow morning,” he said.
The Aam Aadmi Party has thus far refused to issue a reaction to the court’s reservation of its order on Mr. Kejriwal’s interim bail plea, which will be pronounced on June 5.
(With PTI inputs)
