Taking on BJP and PM Modi over tariffs, their Enforcement Directorate (ED) and its fake cases and Delhi’s crumbling governance, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal told party MLAs, councillors and former candidates that he will sacrifice everything for the country but never compromise for power, party or family.
The AAP chief said Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff and PM Modi surrendered before him, mortgaging the nation for one man. He called out BJP and Congress’s alliance, pointing out how AAP leaders are jailed in fake cases while no one from the Gandhi family faces action even in the National Herald case. He said in just six months, BJP has ruined Delhi and made people realise how good AAP’s government was.
Addressing the gathering, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal pointed to a recent raid by BJP’s ED at Saurabh Bharadwaj’s residence, stating, “The raid started around 7 AM and continued the entire day. His statement was recorded and finalized by 8 PM. As the officers were winding up, the Assistant Director sent the statement to his senior. That is when the drama began and by 3 AM, the officers returned, claiming the statement was too long. They asked Saurabh to delete paragraphs, remove portions, and rewrite parts. When Saurabh refused, insisting it was his statement and he would speak the truth, they began pressuring and indirectly threatening him with arrest.”
Recalling how the ED tried to intimidate other AAP leaders, the party chief said, “They told him that if he did not comply, it would not be good for him. Saurabh Bharadwaj replied fearlessly that ever since Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Sanjay Singh, and Vijay Nair were jailed, he knew his turn would also come. He told them he was mentally prepared to spend two years in jail and trusted that in due course, Abhishek Manu Singhvi would secure bail. He even told ED officers—’if you want to arrest me, take me now’.”
He added, “When officers tried to frighten his wife, she boldly said he is never home anyway, take him away if you want. Even their daughter was prepared. The entire family stood firm. This is the meaning of political struggle—earlier rulers killed opponents, now they send them to jail on false charges.”
Rejecting the idea of backroom deals, Arvind Kejriwal asserted, “Many suggest compromise, but politics does not run on compromises. Closed-door deals do not remain hidden from the public. People are not fools. Today there is widespread talk—some say Mayawati has compromised, some say Owaisi has, but most people now say the Congress has compromised.”
Citing examples from Goa, the party Supremo emphasised, “People ask why the BJP has sent five of AAP’s top leaders to jail but not a single Congress leader. They shout endlessly about the National Herald case, which I myself read about online. As per facts, it looks like an open-and-shut case. Yet despite serious allegations, no one from the Gandhi family has gone to jail, while we are jailed in completely fabricated cases.”
Referring to Subramanian Swamy’s interview, Arvind Kejriwal said, “He openly admitted that Rahul Gandhi could have gone to jail in a case he filed, but he backed down after receiving a call from Narendra Modi, who instructed that the Gandhis must not be jailed.”
Pointing to earlier scandals, he added that before the 2014 elections, the land scams of Haryana were being widely discussed and Robert Vadra’s name figured prominently. Yet nothing happened to them, while our leaders are thrown behind bars in false cases. Arvind Kejriwal reminded how in 2014 the BJP had built its campaign around “jija ji” (brother-in-law) and corruption, shouting about Vadra, 2G and coal scams. Yet today, all those cases have quietly been shut. “The people are not fools. They can see the reality—that Congress and BJP are in a hidden alliance,” he said.
The AAP Supremo declared that AAP was not born to compromise for power or family. “We came into politics for the nation. For the country, we can sacrifice our lives. But for posts, party or personal gain, we will never compromise.”
Turning to Delhi’s governance under the BJP over the last six months, he said, “Perhaps God wanted people to see the truth—that AAP worked for Delhi, and these people have ruined it in no time. They’ve ruined the lives of the marginalised. In just six months they’ve destroyed what we built in 11 years. Power cuts are back, school fees are soaring, roads are broken, sewers choked, jhuggis demolished. I live in Lutyens Delhi, and even there, near the PM’s and President’s residence, power goes out five times a day. Imagine the rest of the city. People now say—if elections were held today, AAP would sweep all 70 seats.”
On the economy, Arvind Kejriwal launched a direct attack on PM Modi’s handling of U.S. tariffs. He said Trump imposed a 50% tariff on India, because of which exports collapsed. Textile, jewellery and gems industries are on the verge of shutdown, and lakhs of workers will lose jobs. Canada faced a 35% tariff, retaliated with 25% in just five days, and Trump was forced to withdraw. Trump imposed tariffs on the European Union, they doubled it, and Trump had to step back. “But when Trump imposed 50% on us, PM Modi reduced our tariff to zero,” he said.
He cited the case of cotton: “When American farmers wanted to dump their cotton in India, we had an 11% tariff to protect our farmers. Trump imposed 50% on us—Modi should have raised ours to 100%. Instead, he cut our 11% to zero. What is PM Modi’s compulsion? Why is he kneeling before Trump? Everyone knows what the compulsion is. For one man, PM Modi has mortgaged the entire nation.”
Arvind Kejriwal warned that people are watching. “For one man, they have pawned the whole country. Their days are numbered. The entire country is seeing this, and they will leave politics with their names written in black letters across history.”
He urged AAP workers to prepare for the next battle. “Stay among the people. I have learnt that they now plan to end Delhi’s electricity subsidy. Free power is troubling them, so they want to finish it. Remain with the people, stand by them in joy and sorrow. That is the only message God has given you until the next election. When the time comes, you will again get the chance to govern. Until then, keep working among the people.”
