Arvind Kejriwal interview: ‘Only the PM can answer how long he wants me in jail… If I quit (as CM), Mamata and Pinarayi govts will be toppled next’

The country is going through a very difficult time. Slowly, and now very quickly, the country is moving towards dictatorship. They (the BJP government at the Centre) first arrested (ex-Jharkhand CM) Hemant Soren, and then me. By arresting me, they are giving a message to people of the country that if they can arrest Kejriwal in a false case, they can arrest anyone. So they should be feared, and people should do as they say. These are signs of a dictatorship. In a democracy, they should listen to people, but they are asking people to listen to them. We have to save the country from this. In a way, this is like the freedom struggle. Many people who inspire me today went to jail for long periods at the time. My going to jail is to save the country, it is not because I am corrupt. It is not because Manish Sisodia has done something wrong. Just like people went to jail for long periods for this country’s freedom, we are going to jail to save democracy and the Constitution. I have always said that I can sacrifice my life for the country. This is a part of that struggle.

The PMLA Act has turned the entire criminal jurisprudence on its head. Till now, in the criminal system, an FIR would be filed, investigation would be carried out, there would be a case and the court would decide whether a person is guilty or innocent. Only then would a guilty person be punished. Now it’s the other way round. An FIR is filed and whoever they doubt is arrested on the first day. And then the investigation continues and he remains in jail. Only when a person is declared innocent in court that a person is released from jail. This is what PMLA says. So no one is getting bail. And the conviction rate is nothing, all the cases are fake. This law was