New Delhi:

AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday said he remained “determined and brave” during his six months in Tihar jail and even asked his family members not to “shed tears” during virtual interactions.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to the Rajya Sabha member in a money laundering case related to Delhi’s liquor policy. He walked out of Tihar jail on Wednesday after spending nearly six months in jail.

In an interview to PTI, he recalled his days in Tihar, which currently houses Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia (Manish Sisodia) and Satyendar Jain.

“The first 11 days were very difficult. I was kept in a small cell and was not allowed to go out. I was under police protection. I then spoke to the prison administration and asked to be given my rights as a regular prisoner,” he told PTI.

He said he has since been allowed to move out at set times under police protection.

“They decided to allow me to go to the music room and badminton court at fixed times. Even the problem of eating was solved,” he said.

The senior party leader said he was studying in prison because he did not have a mobile phone.

“In those six months, I read Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr (Ram Manohar) Lohia, Bhagat Singh. I learned more in 6 months than I could in 6 years. (I read more books in those six months than I had in six years),” he said.

After six months in Tihar, he said his “morale is pretty strong” which will enhance his future fighting capabilities.

“Either you sit at home or you fight. We will fight,” he said.

While Mr. Singh was in prison, his wife, Anita, took care of everything. Talking about how his family coped with his absence, he said he spent the time bravely and even asked his family to be strong.

“It’s a tough situation for any family if they’re battling this. But the question is how can we stand strong? I’m extremely cautious. I know video conferences between prisoners and their families are recorded ,”He said.

He said he would try to entertain his family with anecdotes from prison or some funny incident.

“I would tell them stories that would make them laugh. The first day they asked me how are you, how is your health. I told them to ask me often”How are you in jail?‘. No one was allowed to cry. I told them it was being recorded. People sitting at the top will be happy to see them shed tears or see Sanjay Singh depressed,” he said.

“In my prison sentence, I acted resolutely and bravely,” he said.

For most of his stay, he was held in cell 28 of the second prison, but was later transferred to the fifth prison.

“It’s strange. I was transferred from jail 2 to jail 5. Manish Sisodia is in a separate jail and Satyendar Jain is in a separate jail. I don’t know why they think We were such big defendants that we were all locked up. “I was locked up in different jails. I am under CCTV surveillance 24 hours a day,” he said.

When Mr. Singh learned that the Supreme Court had granted him bail, he was admitted to ILBS Hospital.

“I have been undergoing treatment at ILBS Hospital for the past three-four years. After receiving the report, doctors recommended a liver biopsy. At that time, I was admitted to ILBS Hospital for this reason,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in the same case as Mr Singh. Elaborating on Mr Kejriwal’s arrest and its impact, he said it has given strength to the party workers in their work and reaching out to the people.

“Kejriwal is not here today but workers are working hard to fill the void. The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply in the elections,” he said.

In this situation, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal is in the limelight.

She has given three digital briefings so far, in which she read out information from him in the emergency room and in Tihar jail. On March 31, she made a political debut by reading out his message at the India Group ‘maharally’.

“She played a key role because she was the only one who was able to meet him and through her, party workers got instructions. It was a very emotional situation for her. For the first time after the meeting I She was seen with tears in her eyes (after his release from Tihar). What our families, our workers, the people of Delhi have suffered, the people will respond,” he asserted.

Singh claimed there was a “conspiracy” behind Kejriwal’s arrest and said he, Jain and Sisodia would be released from jail soon.

“That’s not a good thing. If you start this authoritarian approach, that’s not a good thing. We’re going to have to work harder.

“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi wouldn’t have done this if he was sure he would win. Freeze the Congress party’s bank accounts, arrest the chief minister, they have fear in their hearts. The BJP is losing the election. They are like this Doing it out of fear No politician would do such a thing unless he was afraid of loss.

“This is counter-productive for them. People are developing sympathy for Kejriwal,” he added.

As for the Lok Sabha campaign, Mr Singh said he would work for the party whatever role he was assigned and would campaign for AAP and Bloc India candidates.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)