The arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and JMM’s Hemant Soren have thrust their wives into the limelight. Sunita Kejriwal and Kalpana Soren have emerged as prominent figures in the Indian camp during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the absence of their spouses, suggesting they Ready for a larger political role.

They attended a rally in Ranchi yesterday along with other Bloc India leaders as the opposition camp launched a blistering attack on the BJP, saying it is abusing central institutions to harass opposition-ruled states.

Two empty chairs were left on the stage for Mr Kejriwal and Mr Soren – both their spouses were seated on the dais – with name tags bearing their names.

The ‘Ulgulan Nyay Mahrally’ organized by JMM during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections is a major show of strength and is attended by leaders of 28 political parties, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav, Bhagwant Mann and Akhilesh Yadav.

In her speech, Sunita Kejriwal lashed out at the government, claiming that her diabetic husband was not getting insulin injections in jail, a claim made earlier by the Aam Aadmi Party.

“They want to kill my husband Arvind Kejriwal. His food is monitored by cameras; he cannot take insulin injections. My husband is a diabetic patient and has been taking insulin for the past 12 years; he needs 50 units of insulin daily,” she Said at the rally.

She claimed she could not prove the charges against her husband and insisted they would win the “fight against dictatorship”. “The jail doors will open and Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren will come out,” Ms Kejriwal asserted.

Ms Soren also accused the BJP of trying to topple governments in opposition-run states, which she claimed led to the arrests of Mr Kejriwal and Mr Soren ahead of the elections.

At the rally, she also read out her husband’s message: “Central agencies like the Education Department and CBI are being misused to silence the opposition, but the BJP and such forces will be driven out.”

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a money laundering case related to the liquor insurance policy scam. Even after his arrest, he remained chief minister, with Australia’s AP claiming there was no law preventing him from running the government from prison.

Mr Soren resigned from the top job before he was arrested by the Education Ministry in January over a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud. JMM leader Champai Soren succeeded him as chief minister in February amid speculation that Ms Soren might succeed her husband.