New Delhi:

Released from Tihar Jail 50 days after he was arrested in the liquor policy case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said he has been fighting dictatorship with all his might and exhorted all Indians to join him in the struggle, stating that it would not be successful until they do.

Addressing a huge crowd of AAP supporters immediately after his release on Friday, the AAP chief thanked Lord Hanuman and the judges of the Supreme Court who granted him bail. He also laid out his plans for the first half of Saturday and said he will visit a Hanuman temple in New Delhi’s Connaught Place at 11 am and there will be a press conference at the AAP office at 1 pm. 

“Didn’t I say I would be back soon? Here I am. I would first like to thank Lord Hanuman, because of whose blessings I am among you today. I want to thank all of you, the crores of people across the country who sent me their wishes and their blessings. I also want to thank the judges of the Supreme Court. We have to work together to save the country from dictatorship. I have been fighting against dictatorship with all my might but 140 crore Indians have to fight too,” he said in Hindi.

“I will go to the Hanuman temple in Connaught Place tomorrow at 11 am to seek the lord’s blessings. I urge all of you to join me. There will be a press conference in the party office at 1 pm,” the AAP chief added. 

Mr Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, had got interim bail from the Supreme Court earlier on Friday for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. The bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta asked him to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of polling.

Three phases of the Lok Sabha election have already ended but all seven seats in Delhi will vote in the sixth phase on May 25. 

While granting him bail, the bench said that Mr Kejriwal is an elected chief minister and does not pose any threat to society.

“Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister of Delhi and a leader of one of the national parties. No doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to society,” the court said.

The AAP chief’s release comes as a boost not only to his party, but also the INDIA alliance. Sources said that he will begin travelling across the country to campaign for the opposition bloc.