After spending more than 17 months behind bars in the Delhi excise policy case, Sisodia says he is grateful for just being able to be with his family and friends, without the police looking on. One of the first photos he posted on X after his release was of him enjoying a cup of tea with wife Seema. He captioned it, “First-morning tea of freedom”.
Relief is writ large on the face of the 52-year-old Aam Aadmi Party leader, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court. He is in a sparsely furnished room, and the wall behind his seat has a picture of Bhagat Singh, idolised by the AAP. On the side table, there is a statue of Lord Hanuman, who AAP leaders say helps remove obstacles in their path and blesses them in times of crisis.
Sisodia speaks at length on his time in Tihar, recollecting his struggles with isolation in jail and the constant surveillance. He says he turned to his passion, which is reading, to pass time. Spiritual succour came from reading the Upanishads and the Gita, he says.
Sisodia gets emotional talking about the impact of his imprisonment on his wife and son. His wife suffers from multiple sclerosis and Sisodia says she has had to bear the brunt of the political fight that he is involved in. He says it hurts him that he was not there for his teenaged son when he needed his father’s counsel.
Sisodia is aware that he has to hold the fort in the absence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He has hit the ground running with padyatras and meetings with party leaders and workers. Sisodia, however, says he is in no hurry to rejoin the cabinet, and his priority is to reconnect with people. Excerpts from the interview:
Esta historia es de la edición September 15, 2024 de THE WEEK India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 15, 2024 de THE WEEK India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
War Over Wounded Earth
For the BJP andthe Congress, the ravaged farmlands of Vidarbha represent a cxitieal battleground in their larger struggle to win Maharashtra
Say no to continual elections
Following the recommendations of a high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind to streamline the widely scattered schedule of national, state and local elections, the Union cabinet has reportedly approved two constitutional amendment bills for likely introduction in Parliament. Predictably, the return of the ‘one nation, one election’ issue to news has set off a flurry of objections by several opposition leaders.
Fabulously, fashionably funny
The third season of the Karan Johar-produced Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives dropped on Netflix, but articles criticising the show appear in some news site or the other almost daily. If it is so bad, why keep writing about it? And if it is so bad, why would the superpowers at Netflix, who are harder to meet than the prime minister, commission the show season after season?
All in the family
The Chitaras have been passing down the secret art of Mata Ni Pachedi through generations for more than 400 years now
Raise a toast to Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is a New Year baby. At 45, she is aglow in the most beautiful way, having won the hearts and admiration of countless fans across the world, who watched the supremely talented actor take a public tumble on stage at a high-profile promotional event recently, sharing the platform with no less a dancer than the eternally graceful Madhuri Dixit.
Death no bar
Being alive is not a legal requirement to be elected president of the United States
The Lotus POTUS
You should visit us one of these days— there is so much excitement in our USA! No, I don’t mean the famous USA—the Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association of Mumbai.
RAY OF HOPE
Actor and cancer survivor Lisa Ray talks to oncologist Dr Jame Abraham about inner strength and her surrogacy journey
LEVERAGE AI TO ENHANCE WORK
AT THE WEEK Health Summit, Siddharth Bagga, head (retail, CPG and health care), Google Cloud, elaborated on the significant work that Google has been doing in health care through artificial intelligence (AI).
PRESSURE POINTS
Author and MP Shashi Tharoor and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das on how to find healing and meaning in today's world