Sunita Kejriwal will go everywhere as voice of Delhi CM: Gopal Rai

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail, will be her husband's voice and carry his message wherever needed in the country during the Lok Sabha polls, AAP's city unit convenor Gopal Rai said on Thursday.

In an interview with PTI, Rai asserted that the people of Delhi are firmly behind the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress candidates fielded in the parliamentary polls after Kejriwal's arrest and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently trailing in all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.

Kejriwal has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

Sunita Kejriwal will tour Gujarat as a star campaigner for the AAP. The party is contesting the Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat.

Replying to a question on whether Sunita Kejriwal, in the absence of his husband, will campaign in other states, Rai answered in the affirmative and said a plan is being firmed up.

"Arvind Kejriwal has been sent to jail to stop his voice from reaching across the country. Sunita Kejriwal will go everywhere as his voice and convey his message," Rai told PTI.

Arvind Kejriwal has been the biggest star campaigner for the AAP and he has been put behind bars to ensure that his voice does not reach the people of the country, he said.

"Sunita Kejriwal will take across the voice of Kejriwal wherever needed in the country. She will become Kejriwal's voice and go wherever his voice needs to be raised," the senior AAP leader said.

"A plan is being firmed up. We will make it public once it is ready," he added.

Rai said the party organisation -- MPs, ministers and MLAs -- is collectively taking the day-to-day decisions regarding campaigning and the strategy for the Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling BJP at the Centre might have dreamt that the AAP will fall like "a pack of cards" after Kejriwal goes to jail but that did not happen, he asserted.

"I can say it with responsibility that the AAP has emerged stronger after the arrest (of Kejriwal) and those who were earlier scattered are now united. The result of this will be visible on May 25, when votes will be cast in Delhi," Rai said.

He said the AAP was initially wary of the impact of Kejriwal's arrest but people have supported the party, registering their anger over the action. He said 2,000 teams of volunteers have reached out to six lakh households in the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Delhi that will be contested by the party as part of the "Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se" campaign.

"The voters of Delhi will bring about a qualitative change in the Lok Sabha polls this time," Rai asserted.

Over the prospects of a joint poll campaign with its INDIA bloc partner Congress in the national capital, the Delhi minister said the two parties will sit together and work on it on the basis of their individual campaign strategies.

He said the aapkaramrajya.com website launched on Wednesday showcases the work done by the party in Delhi in the last 10 years.

"Our two major aims for the Lok Sabha polls are to campaign against the dictatorship in the country and to show the goodwill of people due to the work done by the AAP in Delhi," he added.

Rai said the BJP's "dream" that the AAP will fall apart after Kejriwal's arrest has been shattered.

"It does not matter if they break away two MLAs or four ministers. The people of Delhi are more strongly uniting against this atrocity and will retaliate on May 25 through their votes," the AAP leader asserted.

The national capital will go to polls on May 25 and the counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

"The BJP is trailing in all the seven seats in Delhi. People are telling the BJP campaigners that their party did not do anything and asking why did they send Kejriwal, who was working for them, to jail. The BJP has no answer to this," Rai said.

He said an alliance with the Congress for next year's Delhi Assembly polls depends on questions like whether President's Rule will be imposed in the national capital or not and whether the Assembly will exist after the Lok Sabha election.

"If the Constitution and democracy are saved in this country, then only can anything be thought about," Rai said.

The AAP is contesting four Lok Sabha seats in the national capital -- New Delhi, East, South and West -- while its alliance partner Congress has fielded candidates from the Chandni Chowk, Northeast and Northwest constituencies. PTI