NEW DELHI: AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not continue in office beyond 2026, as opposition leaders launched a broad attack on the BJP-led Centre at the launch of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s book ‘Unlikely Paradise’ in the national capital.Speaking at the event, Kejriwal said, “PM Narendra Modi might not be the Prime Minister by the end of 2026. He and Amit Shah are about to go, and their rule is about to end…”He added that his “heart and political understanding” suggest that PM Modi may not continue as prime minister through 2026, asserting that both “Modi’s and Shah’s reign will end.”Kejriwal also accused the government of losing its grip over public discourse, particularly on social media.
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“At one time, people were jailed even for memes against PM Modi. Today, social media is full of criticism, reflecting a decline in his popularity,” he said.Targeting the electoral process, the former Delhi chief minister alleged that elections are being “won through corruption” and cited his own experience. He claimed that before his imprisonment, he secured around 1.48 lakh votes, but after his release, nearly 42,000 votes were “deleted,” resulting in a narrow defeat margin of about 3,000 votes. He added that he had earlier won the same seat by a margin of 30,000 votes and accused the ruling party of “cheating to win elections.”Kejriwal also criticised institutions, saying, “Modi’s popularity is declining, but he is still winning elections. Who is responsible for it? It’s the EC.”He further said, “Everyone should read this book. The Modi government includes all the dishonest people in its party and puts all the honest ones in jail. The way they (BJP) win the election by misusing the Election Commission is not good for the country.”Several opposition leaders echoed similar concerns at the event held at Mavalankar Hall, Constitution Club of India, which was attended by Kapil Sibal, Digvijaya Singh, Jaya Bachchan and Derek O’Brien.TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien said, “On May 4, the people of Bengal will not defeat, but humiliate Modi and Shah… The next big one will be in February 2027 in Uttar Pradesh… These two are going to happen.” He also claimed that in West Bengal, his party “did not allow the EC to do the jugglery.”Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the ED and the EC are “two faces of the same coin.” He added, “If EC prepares machine-readable voter lists and holds elections on ballots, Modi and Shah can never win.”AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who was also arrested in the liquor policy case, said, “This is the biggest slap on the face of the government,” noting that not a single rupee was found at the residence of Kejriwal or any AAP leader.Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal questioned the role of the Enforcement Directorate, saying, “They are actually violating the law because they have no concern with human rights.”Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, whose book is based on his jail experiences, said, “We will wait, and those who are responsible for this will also be sent there (jail) someday.”Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant defended Raut, saying, “Sanjay Raut is a ‘sher’ (lion). The atrocity inflicted upon him was not a lawful proceeding. It was sheer oppression. Even the British never committed such atrocities as these people are committing.” Referring to the book, he added, “The book he wrote recounting this experience was read out in both Hindi and English on the stage today…”Separately, Raut also criticised the Centre over its silence on the escalating US-Israel versus Iran conflict. “No one can say what India’s role is. This war (the US-Israel versus Iran conflict) has reached a very dangerous turning point. India is a country of 1.4 billion people, but to date, Prime Minister Modi has not expressed his opinion on this war. What is the fear? They should tell us what our role is and what we are going to do next,” he said.O’Brien also alleged that several individuals facing legal action avoided jail after joining the BJP. He said he meets “15-20 people in Parliament every day, who were supposed to be in jail, but joined the BJP and did not go to jail.” Go to Source
