New Delhi. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday said he showed determination and courage during his six-month stay in Tihar jail and had also asked his family members not to shed tears. Rajya Sabha member Singh was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a money laundering case related to Delhi Excise Policy. He came out of Tihar Jail on Wednesday after being imprisoned in Tihar Jail for almost six months.
In an interview given to ‘PTI’ he recalled his days spent in Tihar. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are also currently lodged in Tihar Jail. Singh said, “The first 11 days were very difficult in the small cell, we were not allowed to go out. I was under police protection. After this, I spoke to the jail administration and demanded that I be given rights as a common prisoner.”
He said that after this he was allowed to go out of the cell for a certain time under police protection. “They decided to allow me to go to the music room, badminton court for a certain period of time,” he said. “Even issues related to food were given attention.” The senior party leader said that since he did not have a mobile phone, he utilized his time in jail by reading books.
He said, “I read books by Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. (Ram Manohar) Lohia, Bhagat Singh in those six months. “I read more in six months than I could read in six years.” After spending six months in Tihar, he said that his “morale has increased a lot” and this will strengthen his further fight. He said, “Either you sit at home or fight. We will fight.”
When Singh was in jail, his wife Anita was handling everything. Talking about how his family handled themselves in his absence, Singh said that they took courage and perseverance and even asked his family to stay strong.
He said, “It is a difficult situation for any family if they are facing such circumstances, but the question is how can we stand strong. “I knew that video conferences between prisoners and their families are recorded.” He said that he used to try to please his family with interesting stories or some funny incident from the jail.
Singh said, “On the first day they (his family) asked me how are you, how is your health. I told them to always ask me, ‘How are the people in jail?’ No one had to cry. I told him it was being recorded. The people at the top will be happy to see him crying or Sanjay Singh sad.” He said that for most of the time in jail, he was kept in cell number 28 in jail number two, but later he was shifted to jail number five.
He said, “This was a strange thing. I was transferred from jail number two to jail number five. Manish Sisodia is in a separate jail and Satyendra Jain is in a separate jail. I don’t know why they consider us such big accused that we all were kept in different jails. “I was under CCTV surveillance 24 hours a day.” When Singh got the information about getting bail from the Supreme Court, he was admitted in ILBS Hospital.
He said, “I have been undergoing treatment at ILBS Hospital for the last three-four years. A report came after which the doctor advised liver biopsy. At that time I was admitted to ILBS for this.” ‘Liver biopsy’ is a test used to diagnose liver conditions.
Kejriwal was arrested in the case on March 21. Elaborating on Kejriwal’s arrest and its impact, Singh said it has empowered party workers to work harder and reach out to the people. He said, “Today Kejriwal is not here but the workers are trying to fill that void. The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply (in the elections).”
In this scenario, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal has come into the limelight. She has so far addressed three digital press conferences, in which she read out her messages given from ED custody and Tihar Jail. Singh said, “She (Sunita Kejriwal) has an important role because she is the only person who can meet her and through her the guidelines reach the party workers. This is a very emotional situation for them. I saw tears in his eyes for the first time after meeting him (after my release from Tihar). The way our families, our workers, the people of Delhi have been tortured, the public will respond.”
Singh alleged a ‘conspiracy’ behind Kejriwal’s arrest and said he, Jain, along with Sisodia would come out soon. He said, “This is not a good thing. If you are starting this practice of dictatorship then it is not a good thing. We have to work harder.” He said, “If Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi was confident of victory, he would not have done this. Freezing the bank accounts of Congress, arresting the Chief Minister, there is fear among them. BJP is losing the elections. They are doing this because of fear.”
Singh said that people are sympathetic towards Kejriwal. For the Lok Sabha election campaign, Singh said that whatever role is assigned to him, he will play it. He said that he will work for the party and campaign for the candidates of ‘AAP’ as well as the opposition alliance ‘India’.
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Tags: AAP, Arvind kejriwal, Delhi liquor scam, sanjay singh, Tihar Jail
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 6, 2024, 19:39 IST