Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his dissatisfaction with the statements made by the Tihar Jail administration regarding his health. He mentioned that he had been consistently requesting insulin as he is a diabetic patient.
A source from Tihar Jail had previously stated that Kejriwal, who is in judicial custody in the liquor policy case, had a video consultation with doctors from AIIMS on April 20. The doctors reportedly informed that the Chief Minister of Delhi did not have any “serious health concerns”.
In a letter addressed to the Superintendent of Tihar Jail, Kejriwal highlighted that his glucose metre readings were in a “dangerous” range between 250 and 320. He accused the jail administration of providing false information about his health under “political pressure”.
Kejriwal dismissed the reassurances from AIIMS doctors regarding his health and emphasized that detailed information on his health issues would be provided by his own doctors.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Tihar administration of withholding insulin from Kejriwal, who is diabetic. They have also alleged a “conspiracy” to harm him.
The video conference on April 20 was arranged by the Tihar Jail administration at the request of Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal. The consultation included a thorough review of the Chief Minister’s glucose monitoring sensor data, diet, and medication details.
The insulin issue was not brought up by Arvind Kejriwal or suggested by the doctors during the video consultation, as per the Tihar Jail source. The Tihar Jail administration submitted a report to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on April 19, stating that the Chief Minister’s health was assessed on April 10 and April 15 by a medicine specialist who recommended oral anti-diabetic drugs. It was clarified that Kejriwal was not denied insulin at any point during the treatment. An argument has arisen between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the AAP regarding Kejriwal’s health.
The ED claimed that the Chief Minister was consuming mangoes, aloo puri, and sweets daily despite having Type-2 Diabetes to elevate blood sugar levels and create grounds for a medical bail. Kejriwal’s lawyer refuted the allegations, stating that he only had mangoes three times in jail and ate aloo puri as a Navratra prasad. This statement was made during a hearing at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on April 19 regarding a plea to allow the Chief Minister to receive his insulin injections. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in the now-defunct Delhi liquor policy case. He is set to remain in jail until April 23, when the next hearing is scheduled.