I challenge PM Modi to hold fresh polls in Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal

Hours after being discharged in the Delhi liquor policy case, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a direct political offensive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah — accusing them of orchestrating a “fake” case to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party and daring the BJP to face voters in fresh elections.

Kejriwal said the court’s decision had exposed what he described as “the biggest political conspiracy” in independent India’s history.

The court, while discharging Kejriwal, his erstwhile deputy Manish Sisodia and 21 others, was sharply critical of the CBI’s case, noting that the charge sheet “suffers from internal contradictions, striking at the root of conspiracy theory”. Calling the ruling “historic”, Kejriwal said it demonstrated judicial courage “at a time when all institutions are under assault”.

But his strongest message was reserved for Modi. Alleging that the liquor policy case was engineered by the BJP to politically eliminate AAP, Kejriwal said the prime minister had unleashed investigative agencies to tarnish his reputation. “I have earned only honesty and reputation in my entire life, and Modi and Shah tried to destroy that through a fake case,” he said.

He then issued a blunt political challenge: “I challenge PM Modi to hold fresh elections in Delhi. If the BJP wins more than 10 seats, I will quit politics.”

Kejriwal accused the BJP of governance failures in the national capital, saying the party had “thrown Delhi into chaos” through worsening air pollution, a polluted Yamuna and deteriorating infrastructure.

He also said the case was part of a sustained campaign involving central agencies and media trials aimed at branding him corrupt. “They sent ED, CBI, IT, police against us and even jailed us — but they could not harm Kejriwal,” he said.

In an emotional address, Kejriwal said the arrest in March 2024 had deeply affected him and his family, adding that he chose silence until his name was cleared. “A heavy burden is lifted off my chest today,” he said.

The AAP chief also indicated that the party would now move court seeking discharge in related cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The court’s ruling triggered celebrations among AAP supporters, who gathered outside Kejriwal’s residence, distributing sweets and playing drums. Party leaders framed the verdict as a political turning point.

Sisodia said it reaffirmed faith in the Constitution despite what he described as attempts by the BJP and its agencies to prove AAP dishonest. Delhi Assembly's leader of opposition and former Delhi chief minister Atishi said the ruling showed how false allegations had been used to target party leaders, while Punjab chief minister and senior AAP leader Bhagwant Mann declared that “truth always triumphs”.

Kejriwal, however, has signalled that for him, the verdict was not just legal vindication — but a political opening.

With PTI inputs