New Delhi, Apr 18: Delhi Cabinet minister Atishi on Thursday claimed there was a "huge conspiracy" to kill Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi excise policy case, by denying him home-cooked food in the jail.

Her charge came hours after the ED claimed before a court that Kejriwal is eating high sugar foods like mangoes and sweets every day despite having type 2 diabetes to create grounds for medical bail.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) made the claim before special judge for CBI and ED cases, Kaveri Baweja, who directed the Tihar jail authorities to file a report in the matter, including Kejriwal's diet chart.

Addressing a press conference, Atishi accused the ED of lying about the chief minister's diet.

"The BJP through its wing ED is trying to harm Kejriwal's health. They are trying to stop the supply of home-cooked food to Kejriwal in jail. The ED lied in court and said that Kejriwal is having tea with sugar and eating sweets. This is a complete lie. Kejriwal is taking an artificial sweetener," she said.

Atishi said the ED told the court that Kejriwal is eating bananas.

"Any doctor will tell you that diabetes patients are asked to carry banana or any toffee or chocolate because a drop in sugar-level can be dangerous for life. The ED said he is eating aloo-puri. The ED should be afraid of God for lying so much. He ate puri only on the first day of Navratra. All these lies are being spread by the BJP and ED to stop the supply of home-cooked food to Kejriwal," she alleged.

Once he is disallowed home food, it will not be known what Kejriwal is being fed in the jail and when, she said.

"From past few days, Kejriwal's sugar level is over 300 mg/dl, but he has been denied insulin by Tihar jail authorities. There's a conspiracy to kill Kejriwal by stopping his home cooked food supply," she alleged.

The ED claimed Kejriwal was consuming high-sugar foods to seek bail on medical grounds, or shift to a hospital.

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Kolhapur (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government has betrayed Maharashtra, and he apologises to the people for seeking votes for the prime minister in earlier elections.

Thackeray and his Maha Vikas Aghadi ally and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar spoke at a rally at Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur district of western Maharashtra in support of Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Hatkanangale constituency, Satyajit Patil.

Talking about the circumstances in which his government fell in 2019, Thackeray said the Supreme Court had not delivered its verdict on whose Shiv Sena was the real one, but the "Election Commission and the arbitrator (Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar) who were working as their (BJP's) servants, gave their verdicts."

"Now when PM Modi calls us fake Shiv Sena, he is putting pressure on the court," Thackeray said. Sharad Pawar said that Modi, during visits to Maharashtra, only criticises him (Pawar) and Thackeray instead of speaking about his plans for the state. Pawar also accused the Centre of misusing central agencies and pointed to the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in alleged corruption cases.

Thackeray said when no one was willing to join hands with the BJP, the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with it. The saffron party, however, brought down the government of a man whose family had given it everything, he said, referring to the fall of his government in June 2022. "I apologise for seeking votes for Modi (in the past) because his government has betrayed Maharashtra," the Sena (UBT) chief added.

He also accused the BJP of using the Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha elections but scheming to defeat its candidates in assembly polls. "You used Shiv Sainiks (in Lok Sabha polls) but defeated our candidates (in assembly polls). I have come to avenge it," said Thackeray who parted ways with the BJP in 2019. Thackeray and Pawar also shared the stage at a rally in Kolhapur city for Congress candidate Shahu Chhatrapati.

Pawar said on the occasion that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru spoke about the country when he visited the states, while Indira Gandhi would talk about poverty alleviation. "But this PM can not rest till he targets Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. I want to tell Modi ji, however may you criticise us and bypass important issues facing the state and the country, the people of Maharashtra will teach you a lesson," he said. Hitting out at Modi for calling Pawar "wandering soul," Thackeray in his speech recalled that Atal Bihari Vajpayee had praised Pawar's disaster management skills.