‘BJP Worse Than The British’: Arvind Kejriwal Cites Bhagat Singh’s Jail Letters

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of being “worse than the British.” Addressing the AAP’s ‘Ek Shaam Shaheedon Ke Naam’ event in Delhi, Kejriwal invoked freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s letters from jail to draw comparisons with his own incarceration, claiming that his right to communication was curbed.

“Whatever dreams the freedom fighters had in their minds, not even a single dream of theirs is being fulfilled today,” Kejriwal said. “The letters that Bhagat Singh had written from jail had a lot against the British, yet the British used to send them to his comrades. When I was in jail, I wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) that I was in jail, so Atishi should be allowed to hoist the flag. There was nothing wrong with this. I gave a letter to the jail superintendent, but the letter did not reach the LG, and I got a show-cause notice that how dare I write such a letter. Bhagat Singh had the freedom to write any letter, but I could not write a letter of two lines. You (BJP) are worse than the British,” he alleged.

भगत सिंह जी जब जेल में थे तो वो जो चिट्ठी लिखते थे, उसमें अंग्रेजों के ख़िलाफ़ बातें लिखी होती थी लेकिन फिर भी अंग्रेज़ उन चिट्ठियों को उनके परिवार और दोस्तों तक पहुँचाते थे।

लेकिन जब मैंने LG साहब को जेल से चिठ्ठी लिखी तो मुझे Show Cause Notice दे दिया गया कि आपकी चिट्ठी लिखने… pic.twitter.com/UCoQKSEpJb

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 23, 2025

The event, organised to commemorate Shaheedi Diwas and honour freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev, saw Kejriwal reiterating that the AAP entered politics to fulfil the aspirations of Bhagat Singh and Dr B. R. Ambedkar, not for power. He criticised the BJP for allegedly disregarding their legacy, particularly after assuming power in the national capital.

“Our role models are Babasaheb Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh. Bhagat Singh used to say that merely removing the British was not enough, the structure of society had to change. Otherwise, brown rulers would replace the British. This is exactly what has happened. Today’s rulers are worse than the British,” Kejriwal remarked.

शहीद-ए-आज़म भगत सिंह जी और बाबा साहब भीमराव अंबेडकर जी हमारे आदर्श हैं और यहां दिल्ली में BJP की सरकार बनते ही दोनों महापुरुषों की दफ्तरों से तस्वीरें हटा दीं।

यह देखकर मुझे बहुत तकलीफ़ हुई और जब बीजेपी ने यह सब किया तब कांग्रेस ने इसे लेकर एक शब्द नहीं बोला। यह बताता है कि… pic.twitter.com/yf6DDdfsN5

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 23, 2025

Arvind Kejriwal Alleges BJP, Congress ‘Collusion’; Targets Delhi Govt Over Promises To Women

The former Delhi chief minister also accused the BJP-led administration of removing portraits of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar from government offices within 48 hours of coming to power in the city. “I want to ask them if there is anyone who has sacrificed more for the country than Bhagat Singh. I was very saddened to see this, and when the BJP did all this, Congress did not say a word about it. This shows that there is some collusion going on between the two parties,” he questioned.

The remarks come while the BJP has previously denied removing the portraits, merely changing the placement inside the Chief Minister’s chamber at Delhi Assembly.

Kejriwal further attacked the BJP government over alleged restrictions on the free bus ride scheme for women in Delhi. He claimed that conductors were denying free pink tickets to women unless they downloaded an app. “Why are they doing this? Instead of improving facilities, they are withdrawing the existing ones. By now, they should have started giving ₹2,500 to women, but they have not,” he alleged, accusing the BJP of failing to deliver on its poll promises.

मैंने एक वीडियो देखी जिसमें Conductor महिला को Pink Ticket देने से मना कर रहा था कि ऊपर से आदेश आया है। मोदी जी का बड़प्पन होगा अगर वो इन सुविधाओं को बंद ना करें।

मोदी जी ने चुनाव से पहले महिलाओं को ₹2,500/महीना और गैस सिलिंडर देने का वादा किया था। लेकिन वो इंतज़ार करती रह गई।… pic.twitter.com/rtzLg2Of7C

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 23, 2025

AAP Defeat In Delhi Happened Due To Tactics: Gopal Rai

Senior AAP leader Gopal Rai asserted that the party was born out of struggle and would continue its mission across the country despite its defeat in Delhi. “Our defeat in Delhi happened due to tactics, but our strength is our dedicated workers. They thought we would be finished, but we will make a comeback across the country with double strength,” Rai said.

Meanwhile, newly appointed AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that while the party’s victory in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections had triggered widespread celebrations, the BJP’s win this time did not evoke a similar response. “Their MLAs are surprised by their victory,” he alleged, accusing the BJP of using police, the Election Commission, and money power to win the elections.

The BJP had secured a landslide victory in the recent Delhi Assembly polls, marking a significant political shift in the capital. However, the AAP leadership remains defiant, vowing to fight back.