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‘Will I risk paralysis?’ Arvind Kejriwal refutes ED's ‘mango, sugar’ charge in court
Arvind Kejriwal has urged the court to direct the authorities to provide him "adequate treatment".
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, on Friday refuted the Enforcement Directorate's charge that his client had been eating mangoes, aloo-poori and sugar to deliberately increase his sugar levels. He told a court in the national capital that the Aam Aadmi Party chief had eaten aloo-poori just once as Navratri prasad and was using artificial sweeteners as sugar replacement in his tea. Singhvi said Arvind Kejriwal would not risk paralysis to get bail.
"I only use sugar free (an artificial sugar brand) in my tea. How petty, political and ridiculous ED can be? Their statements are completely false and malicious. Just because you have a lot of influence in the media you are able to publish that I am having aloo poori even though this meal was sent only once during puja," he told the court.
Arvind Kejriwal has moved Delhi's Rouse Avenue court seeking directions to Tihar Jail authorities regarding providing him insulin.
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday claimed Arvind Kejriwal had been attempting to prepare grounds for bail.
“ED claimed that I want to increase my blood sugar levels to get bail. Am I going to risk paralysis to get bail? Whatever food I have is as per the diet chart prepared by my doctor prior to arrest,” Singhvi told the court.
"In February an insulin withdrawal program was started where insulin was withdrawn by micro monitoring my (Kejriwal) diet and everything. This was done from February 1 till I was arrested. It was not followed after my arrest," he added.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Arvind Kejriwal's blood sugar levels had been high. He claimed the doctor attending him in the Tihar jail had not been giving him insulin.
"The allegation is that I have been consuming mangoes... Out of 48 meals sent from home, only three times mangoes were there. No mangoes have been sent after April 8. Mangoes have been made to look like sugar bullets. Their sugar level (glycemic index) is much less than brown rice or white rice," Singhvi added.
Arvind Kejriwal has urged the court to direct the authorities to provide him "adequate treatment". "I am asking 15 minutes of video-conferencing consultation with my doctor daily and with his (Kejriwal) wife," he added.
The lawyer for Tihar said Kejriwal had been taking insulin when he was brought to the jail. He said he stopped taking it sometime back.
"Blood sugar levels have been maintained. He is not following the prescribed diet in the food being sent from home. He should follow the diet chart," the lawyer said.
He said Arvind Kejriwal must not be allowed to consume fruits like mangoes, banana and chiku.
On Thursday night, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena asked the Director General (DG) of Prisons to submit a 'factual and comprehensive' report into the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) allegations.
"Shri VK Saxena has expressed grave concern over reports based on statements by ministers and AAP leaders alleging non provision of insulin to Arvind Kejriwal, who is in jail, and purported conspiracies against him," a Raj Niwas statement said.
On April 16, Arvind Kejriwal urged the court that he wanted to consult with his regular doctor because his blood sugar had been fluctuating.
AAP has alleged that a deep conspiracy is being hatched against Kejriwal and anything can happen to him.
"If the rules of jail do not allow health-related information of an inmate to be shared with anyone, then why did the ED publicize a fake diet chart of Kejriwal in the media on Thursday," said AAP MP Sanjay Singh, per PTI.
With inputs from PTI
