NEW DELHI, Apr 22: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused the Tihar jail administration of issuing a false and misleading statement about his diabetic condition under political pressure and said he has been asking for insulin every day.
Meanwhile, a city court directed the AIIMS to constitute a medical board to examine Kejriwal to determine whether he needs insulin to control his blood sugar levels. It said the home-cooked food that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener was consuming was different from the diet chart prepared by his doctor.
Special Judge for CBI and ED cases Kaveri Baweja passed the order while declining Kejriwal's plea for video consultation with his doctor in the presence of his wife.
The chief minister had alleged he was not being administered insulin in jail leading to “alarming” rise in his blood sugar levels.
Earlier in the day, in a letter to the jail superintendent on Monday, Kejriwal, who is lodged in Tihar prison, rejected the jail administration's claim that the issue of insulin was never raised by him in his consultations with the doctors.
His letter comes a day after the Tihar jail issued a statement stating they had arranged his video conference with senior specialists from AIIMS during which neither “the issue of insulin was raised by Kejriwal, nor was it suggested by the doctors”.
The AAP has accused the Tihar administration of denying insulin to Kejriwal who suffers from diabetes. The party has also alleged a “conspiracy” to “kill” him.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva has alleged that the AAP leaders' “only political hope” was to “create public sympathy” over the health of Kejriwal in view of the Lok Sabha elections.
“No doubt Arvind Kejriwal is a diabetic but his sugar is under control in jail as he didn't raise demand for insulin in the video consultation with the doctors of AIIMS,” he said.
In the letter to the jail administration, the chief minister said he has raised the issue of insulin for 10 days, every day, multiple times.
“I showed my high sugar levels to every doctor who came to see me. I showed them that there were 3 peaks in the sugar level every day — between 250-320,” he said in his letter.
“I also showed them that my fasting sugar level was in the range of 160-200 every day. Almost every day, I demanded insulin. Then how could you make such a statement that I never raised the issue of insulin?” Kejriwal asked.
The chief minister alleged that the Tihar administration issued a “false and misleading” statement under “political pressure”.
The Tihar administration, in the statement on Sunday, said senior specialists from AIIMS provided consultation to Kejriwal during the video call on April 20.
“After a 40-minute detailed consultation, Kejriwal was assured that there was no serious concern and was advised to continue with the prescribed medicines, which will be evaluated and reviewed regularly,” a jail official had said.
The video conference was organised by the Tihar Jail administration on a request by the chief minister's wife Sunita Kejriwal. Apart from a senior specialist from the hospital, medical officers of the Tihar jail were also on the call.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had claimed on Friday that the AAP leader was consuming sugar-laden food like mangoes and sweets on a regular basis to create grounds for medical bail. Kejriwal responded sharply, accusing the central anti-money laundering agency of acting “petty” and “politicising” what he ate.
The court on Monday ordered all necessary medical treatment to be provided to Kejriwal, arrested in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam.
