Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today apologized for continuing his rally even after Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Rajasthan, had hung himself from a tree in the midst of the rally at Jantar Mantar.
“I made a mistake. I should have called off the rally,†Kejriwal told.
I admit, I am guilty: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on continuing rally after Gajendra suicide.
Kejriwal says in the interview that the tree from which Singh committed suicide was far from the stage and that he had no clear vision as to what was going on.
“I don’t think that anybody of those present there would have thought that a person would commit suicide,†he said.
Kejriwal, who has been roundly slammed by all parties including the Congress and the BJP, added that the focus should remain on farmers. The aim should be to stop farmers from committing suicides, he said.
He also came down hard on the media’s coverage of the incident.
“Stop blowing the issue. Only TRPs are increasing,†he said.
Singh’s public suicide has created a massive uproar leading to a political blame game. While Kejriwal had earlier blamed the Delhi police for not rescuing Singh, other parties targeted AAP for continuing the rally even after Singh’s body was brought down and taken to the hospital.
The issue was raised in both houses of Parliament as well.
Expressing his “anguish†in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a farmer cannot be left “helplessâ€. “For several years, farmers’ suicide has been a cause of worry for the nation… The problem is old, deep-rooted and widespread and we have to seek solutions in that context…There should be a collective resolve in this regard. We have an open mind to consider any suggestion that is made,†he said.
