“Delhi’s Development Work Won’t Stop Even If I’m Jailed”: Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the ongoing developmental works of his government for the people would not stop even if he was sent to jail.

Laying the foundation stone of two school buildings at Kirari here, Kejriwal said, “Manish Sisodia was put in jail because he built schools. Satyendar Jain was sent to jail because he built Mohalla clinics.” Kejriwal alleged that central agencies such as ED and CBI have been unleashed on them (AAP leaders).

“But even if you put Kejriwal in jail, the (ongoing) works of building schools and Mohalla clinics and providing free treatment to the people of Delhi will not stop. The BJP wants us to join their party but we will not bow down,” he asserted.

His remarks come at a time he has been asked to join the Delhi Police probe into his allegations that the BJP attempted to “poach” AAP MLAs and is facing summons from the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy linked money laundering case.

Reacting on the interim Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on February 1, Kejriwal said it allocated only four per cent of the total budget for schools and hospitals while the Delhi government has been spending 40 per cent on education and health.

The Delhi chief minister was addressing a foundation stone laying ceremony of two government schools here in northwest Delhi’s Kirari village.

“The central government recently presented the Union Budget. It will spend only four per cent of the total budget on health and education. However, the Delhi government has been spending around 40 per cent of its total budget on health and education for the past eight years,” he said.

The Centre has unleashed all agencies like CBI and ED behind AAP’s leaders to step them from working for the betterment of people, he alleged.

He asserted even if he was sent to jail, the work on building schools and providing free treatment to people will not stop.

“The BJP wants us to join their party but we will not bow down,” he said, adding that the prayers of Delhi residents have kept them going.

The two schools will come up at Sector 41 in Rohini to benefit the children of densely-populated areas of Kirari village, an official statement said.

The foundation stone laying ceremony was also attended by Education Minister Atishi.

“In the last 9 years, the government schools in Delhi have transformed because of the education revolution started by Chief Minister Kejriwal. Today, the government schools in Delhi produce excellent results and have become better than private schools in the city,” she said.

The schools will come up on two separate plots with more than 100 classrooms. One of the schools will have a fully air-conditioned multi-purpose hall with a 300-seat capacity, it said.

The schools will be equipped with facilities like state-of-the-art laboratories, libraries, offices, staff rooms, activity rooms and toilet blocks on every floor, and a lift, the statement said.