We will work for people as countdown for BJP has begun: Arvind Kejriwal

He said television debates repeatedly portrayed him as a thief, causing distress among the public. “The court’s verdict has made it clear that there is no evidence and that the entire case is fake,” he asserted.

He further claimed that the central leadership had personally monitored the case in an attempt to eliminate the Aam Aadmi Party, ensuring that senior AAP leaders were not released. “This verdict is a tight slap on the faces of PM Modi, Amit Shah and the BJP. I am not here to speak about myself, but about the country. I love my country,” he said.

Challenging his critics, Kejriwal said he was willing to quit politics if any contractor or vendor could prove he had ever demanded money during his 10-year tenure as Chief Minister. “I have earned my honesty,” he said.

Turning to national politics, Kejriwal recalled that voters had given the BJP a full majority in 2014 after becoming disillusioned with THE Congress-era corruption. He questioned whether people’s lives had improved in the 12 years since, asking what tangible gains citizens had made.

Listing what he described as the country’s deteriorating condition, Kejriwal cited poor roads, polluted air, inadequate drinking water, power shortages and failing public services. He alleged that sectors such as aviation, railways, banking, education and healthcare were in decline, pushing the country towards ruin.

He also claimed that newly inaugurated bridges were collapsing and roads get washed away with the first rains, while honest voices were being jailed. Concluding his address, Kejriwal said Jantar Mantar had once been the starting point of a major political change in 2011 and declared that, from this day onward, “the countdown for the BJP across the country has begun.”

What other AAP leaders said

Manish Sisodia, Former deputy chief minister Delhi

Removing Narendra Modi from power and making Arvind Kejriwal the Prime Minister is, in itself, an act of patriotism. The country does not want a PM with limited education who governs in an authoritarian manner by misusing agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Nor does it want a Prime Minister who, instead of standing strong, bows before global powers like the US and China. India needs a Prime Minister who is educated, staunchly honest, genuinely committed to public service, who builds schools and hospitals, and who creates employment opportunities for the youth. In that sense, removing the BJP from power is also an act of patriotism.

Sanjay Singh; AAP Rajya Sabha MP

AAP has demonstrated a transformation in the country's politics and initiated politics focused on education, health, common issues and honesty and performance.The BJP, out of fear of our politics, falsely and fabricatedly accused our leaders of being dishonest. But now the court has stamped its approval that Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are staunchly honest.

Atishi; former Chief Minister Delhi

The BJP, out of fear of our politics, falsely and fabricatedly accused our leaders of being dishonest. But now the court has stamped its approval that Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and the AAP are staunchly honest. Today, the entire populace of Delhi and the country is fed up with PM Modi, and the end to his tyrannies will come only through Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP.

Saurabh Bharadwaj, AAP Delhi unit chief

Narendra Modi thought that by levelling false accusations against Arvind Kejriwal and branding him as corrupt, he would politically assassinate him, but that did not happen. I am saying it again today that it will be through Arvind Kejriwal’s hands that Narendra Modi and the BJP's tyrannical rule will come to an end.The people of Delhi will shake Rekha Gupta's throne.