Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged an internal succession battle within the BJP, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is clearing the way for Home Minister Amit Shah to succeed him. In an exclusive interview with India Today's Executive Editor Preeti Chaudhary, Kejriwal claimed a vicious succession war and said all major leaders were being sidelined to pave the way for Shah.
When asked about BJP's accusations and his resemblance to the 'Rabri Devi model,' Kejriwal expressed gratitude for having an understanding life partner. "I'm thankful to God for giving me such a wonderful partner. She has endured a husband like me, who impulsively resigned from a commissioner's job in Income Tax to work in Delhi's slums. Imagine what my wife must have gone through. I had not discussed it with her. She supported me even then. At that time, I wasn't in politics; there was no future. I worked in the slums of Delhi for 10 years. It was my passion, not hers.
Read on: 'Next targets will be Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan,' says Kejriwal on being asked about not resigning from the CM position
Kejriwal mentioned that during his recent jail term, Sunita acted as a link between him and the public. "She has no interest in actively participating in politics. She's not going to run in the elections and has no desire to do so. If I get detained, I will run the campaign from prison and we will win all 70 seats. The public will respond to this. Some people are saying that they will imprison my ministers and MLAs. Put all 70 in jail and see the results in Delhi. Do you think the public is ignorant of what's happening?
'My resignation would endanger democracy,' Kejriwal asserts
In response to queries about stepping down as CM, Kejriwal alleged a conspiracy by Modi to arrest him and thereby fail to defeat him democratically in Delhi. "He knows he cannot win against me in Delhi. Therefore, the conspiracy is to arrest me and I'll resign. After me, the next targets will be Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan. If I resigned, it would be a threat to the nation's democracy.
I am not greedy for power, Kejriwal stated. "I left my job as an Income Tax Commissioner to work in the slums. I had resigned from the CM's position within 49 days previously. But today, this fight is a part of my struggle, and I won't give up this seat. They had petitioned, but the Supreme Court has denied their request to remove me from office. Therefore, I won't resign because wherever Modi loses, they will just arrest the CM," Kejriwal concluded.
