Delhi LG Claims, Arvind Kejriwal Resorting To Willful Low Calorie Intake In Tihar Jail: AAP Responds

New Delhi: Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has asserted that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal may deliberately not be taking the prescribed diet and medicines. In his letter to the Chief Secretary, the LG stated that the diet monitoring chart indicates that between June 6 and July 13, the Chief Minister did not fully consume the prescribed diet for all three meals of the day. Delhi LG’s response has come up amid allegations that jailed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s health has been deteriorating in custody.

CM Kejriwal has been lodged in Tihar jail since April 1 after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of corruption and money laundering about the Delhi Excise policy scam case.

Delhi LG Saxena In His Letter To Chief Secretary Expressed His Concerns

LG Saxena, in his letter to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, cited a report by the Superintendent (Prison) regarding the health status of Kejriwal. The letter claims that there were several instances of “willful low-calorie intake” by the CM, despite sufficient home-cooked food being provided to him. “The report also suggests loss of weight (now 61.5 kg which earlier was 63.5 Kg on the date of surrender – June 2, 2024). Prima facie, it appears to be due to less calorie intake,” the letter read.

The Lt Governor also suggested to the prison authorities that it may advise the chief minister to adhere to the prescribed dosage of medicine and insulin, apart from the diet specified. Notably, Chief Minister Kejriwal has a history of Type-II Diabetes Mellitus.

A communication from the LG office to the chief secretary on Friday said that Saxena expressed concern over the "non-consumption" of prescribed medical diet and medicines by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody and asked officers to find out its reasons from him.

The report also claimed that Kejriwal refused to take insulin before dinner on July 7. The letter further intensified the political spat on the issue of Kejriwal's health in jail.

AAP responds to LG's Letter

Meanwhile, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh slammed the Delhi LG in a post expressing his disappointment on the claim. "What kind of joke is this LG Sir? Would a man reduce his sugar levels at night? Which is very dangerous. LG Sir, if you do not know about the disease then you should not write such a letter," Singh said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a statement alleged that the "BJP is hatching a sinister plan to kill Kejriwal”. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hit back at AAP, saying the report of the Tihar jail superintendent has "exposed" Kejriwal's "conspiracy" to gain "sympathy" by "deliberately" taking fewer calories of food and declining insulin to claim weight loss and high blood sugar level in jail.

Reacting to Saxena’s letter to Tihar jail authorities, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asked Lt Governor VK Saxena why would someone play with their health. “LG sahab, do you understand what you have written? Tell me, would a person play with his own life? After the disclosure of your and the BJP’s conspiracy to play with the health and life of CM Kejriwal ji, I am not able to answer you,” AAP said in a statement.

“This letter is the result of this confusion, in which you have written this misleading and false letter to cover up the conspiracy of BJP,” it added.

The Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP and its government at the Centre of “conspiring” to cause permanent damage to Kejriwal’s health in jail and has claimed the leaders lost weight and suffered a fall in blood sugar level.

The party has also claimed that Kejriwal could even have slipped into a coma and had brain damage after, it alleged, he suffered a drop in his blood sugar level up to 50 mg/dL five times in a night.