Sunita Kejriwal has made her first political move. On Saturday, the former IRS officer made her first video address to the public, reading out her husband and Delhi Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s letter from jail less than 48 hours after the AAP leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
What made her 3-minute, 14-second appearance political is the unmissable imagery associated with it, one typically reserved for her husband Arvind Kejriwal – portraits of Dr BR Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh in the background and flanked by the national flag on both sides. Sunita Kejriwal delivered her husband’s message to the people to mark Shahidi Diwas, the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh even as AAP allies in the INDIA bloc protested Kejriwal’s arrest at Shahidi Park.
Delivering the address in Hindi like her husband, Sunita Kejriwal addressed the nation with “mere pyaare desh waasiyon” and introduced herself as the wife of Arvind Kejriwal. Seeking to invoke the bond between Kejriwal and the public, she said: “Your brother, your son has sent a message from jail.”
She then went on to read the letter, possibly handed to her by Arvind Kejriwal in court on Friday night when he was remanded in Enforcement Directorate’s custody till March 28.
Reading out the letter in first person, she quoted her husband: “I was arrested last night. Whether I remain in jail or outside, I will continue to serve the country. My life, every cell of my body is dedicated to the people of this country.”
मुख्यमंत्री @ArvindKejriwal जी ने देशवासियों के लिए Jail से भेजा संदेश:मुख्यमंत्री जी की धर्मपत्नी @KejriwalSunita जी ने पढ़ा संदेश:
मुझे गिरफ़्तार कर लिया गया है। मैं लोहे का बना हूँ।
मेरे शरीर का एक-एक कण देश के लिए है। मेरा जीवन ही संघर्ष के लिए हुआ है।
कुछ देश के अंदर और… pic.twitter.com/flpap0kasa
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 23, 2024
Hinting at the challenges that lie ahead of him, the Chief Minister wrote: “I was born to struggle. In the days ahead, too, there will be greater challenges and that is why I am not surprised at this arrest.”
In a veiled attack on the BJP, Kejriwal, through his wife, said: “Within and outside the country, there are many forces that are weakening the country and one has to be alert, recognize these forces and defeat them. Similarly, there are many forces, many people who are patriots and if we have to see the country progress, we have to bring these forces together and encourage them.”
Addressing the women of the country specifically, he said: “The sisters and mothers of Delhi would be thinking ‘now that Kejriwal is in jail, are we going get the Rs 1,000 assistance per month?’ I appeal to my sisters and mothers to keep the faith in me. There are no bars that can keep me behind for very long. I will come out soon and fulfil my promises. Has it ever happened that your brother, your son has not kept his promise? Your bother, your son is made of steel. However, I appeal to you to go to the temple once and pray for me. The prayers of crores of people is my strength.”
Kejriwal also appealed to AAP workers and volunteers to keep serving the people while he is away and not to “hate” the BJP workers. “I will return soon. Yours, Arvind,” he signed off simply.
Sunita Kejriwal then concluded her video address with folded hands and a ‘Jai Hind’.
While this was her first solo address to the public, at a sensitive time at that, Sunita Kejriwal isn’t new to the political limelight. After opting for voluntary retirement from the Indian Revenue Services in 2016 (her last posting was as commissioner in the Income Tax Appellete Tribunal), she campaigned for her husband in the New Delhi constituency in 2020 Delhi Assembly elections. She had even interacted with the media on a few occasions, including an interview to News18.
The 1993 batch IRS officer is known to be a woman of steel and enjoys warm relations with party leaders and workers. Referred to as ‘bhabi’, she is the person AAP leaders turn to with a problem if they are hesitant to approach the Chief Minister directly. She accompanied Arvind Kejriwal when the AAP supremo visited the families of Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, both arrested in the same case, last Diwali.
During the 2011 Jan Lokpal anti-corruption movement, which saw Arvind Kejriwal emerge on the national stage as the Man Friday of Anna Hazare, Sunita Kejriwal was still serving as a government officer, but was equally active at the Ramlila Maidan, praying silently each time her husband embarked on indefinite fasts.
A photo of the couple hugging each other had gone viral after the AAP swept the 2015 Delhi elections.
In politics, Kejriwal has portrayed himself as a family man. His parents, wife and two children are always photographed with him heading to polling booths on election days or while visiting temples. The most recent example is their presence at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
At home, Sunita Kejriwal keeps a strict watch on the diets of her husband and her parents-in-law. In January last year, when Kejriwal’s mother, Geeta Devi, had to be admitted to hospital, it was Sunita Kejriwal who was constantly by her side while Arvind Kejriwal managed visits as and when his schedule permitted.
When fellow IRS trainee Arvind proposed to her during a training programme, little did she know a few decades later life would lead them to the world of politics.
Sunita Kejriwal has been on the campaign trail in Delhi and prefers going door-to-door instead of giving speeches. Knocking on doors, telling people about the party’s guarantees, listening to their grievances comes naturally to the former IRS officer.
During Punjab elections, she campaigned along with her daughter Harshita. “I have come to ask for votes for my devar,” she told the people while campaigning for current chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
AAP minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said the situation would be viewed from a different perspective.
“She is not an ordinary lady. She was an IRS officer like Arvind Kejriwal. She was in IRS for more than a decade. Arvind ji had resigned (From IRS) long ago, but she continued for more than a decade. Now, she has seen Arvind Kejriwal in all his highs and lows — when he was IRS officer, as a chief minister, when he was an activist working in Sundar Nagri. Now it is an exceptional circumstance when her husband is in jail on false charges. Mr Arvind Kejriwal has sent a message and who better to convey it than his wife?
Asked if Sunita Kejriwal will lead the party if push comes to shove and whether it will be acceptable to the cadre, Bhardwaj said: “Anything Mr Kejriwal says is acceptable to the party. Whenever the situation arises, we will decide.”