Brace for jail: Delhi CM Kejriwal to AAP workers

NEW DELHI: Describing AAP's newly-acquired status of a national party as "unbelievable, unimaginable and magical", chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said all "anti-national forces" that want to halt the country's progress are against his party, but "no one can stop the idea whose time has come".

"What was the fault of Manish Sisodia? Yesterday, I went to a government school where French, Japanese, German and Spanish are taught. I studied in a big private school in Hisar, but so many languages were not taught there. Sisodia's fault was that he taught poor children to dream big," he said.

Kejriwal was addressing party workers at the AAP headquarters a day after EC granted it national party status. Several party leaders, including councillors and MLAs, were present to celebrate the achievement.

"Satyendar Jain's fault was that he wanted to give good medical treatment to all people, whether rich or poor. All these anti-national forces came together to send him to jail... these forces want to stop AAP. But the almighty is with us," said the CM.

Terming AAP's achievement "miraculous and incredible", Kejriwal said when the party was formed, many believed getting an MLA elected would be difficult. "However, today, after just a little over 10 years, AAP has gone on to become a national party," he said. "It is time to remember AAP's ideology, which has three pillars - kattar imandari (die-hard honesty), kattar patriotism and humanity," Kejriwal said, adding AAP's aim is to make India the number one country in the world.

Kejriwal thanked all those who contributed to AAP's growth and helped it achieve national party status, and remembered his colleagues Sisodia and Jain, who are currently lodged in jail. He told AAP volunteers to be prepared to go to jail, if need be, and said those who are scared should quit the party.

"If anyone, at any point in their political life, feels they have a liking for a particular political post or feels like indulging in any form of wrongdoing, I would urge them to leave AAP. Also, with the way our political opponents are targeting us, each party worker will be attacked and may have to spend eight-10 months in jail," Kejriwal said. "They will eventually get bail as they have not done anything wrong. But if any worker today is scared of these consequences, then I urge you to go somewhere else," he added.

AAP leader Gopal Rai said party workers at state and district offices across India will celebrate the achievement on Wednesday.