Turnout at Kejriwal rally ‘shows people’s anger over note ban’
The heavy turnout at AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s rally against demonetisation here on Thursday is being seen as indication for tough days ahead for the BJP, which is hoping to form a government in Uttar Pradesh after the forthcoming assembly election.
Majority of people from the lower income group of the society, including street vendors, daily wage workers, small traders, marginal farmers, attended the rally and cheered Kejriwal’s direct attack on PM Narendra Modi and the BJP. Sensing the mood of people, Kejriwal also left no opportunity to project Modi as friends of ‘Bade Log’ (rich) ‘whose only agenda was to benefit corporate and capitalists at the cost of the poor’. He also sought to link the decision fordemonetisation with the same agenda.
He in fact successfully steered his political move against the BJP and its top leadership when people responded in the negative to his question whether or notthey believed ‘Modi is an honest person’. Rajendra Sharam, former MLA and RLD leader, said demonetisation had given Kejriwal an opportunity to try his already tested election model ‘upper class vs the poor’ in UP.
Marginal farmers Roshan and Imamuddin of village Aurangabad attended the rally of Kejriwal and got impressed by his ideas. “His simplicity and genuine concern for poor impressed us and we would spread his words among people in our circle,” said the duo. Daily wage worker Mohd Younus of Amar Colony here said demonetisation had turned poor people’s life into a hell. He said he had not seen a single richperson in the queue to exchange or withdraw money from banks in the past 23 days.
Shama of Shyam Nagar attended the rally with a group her friends and appreciated Kejriwal for raising voice in support of poor. “What he disclosed during his speech was an eyeopener for me and my friends,” said Shama whose small world was mostly confined to her family and the earnings of her labourer husband.
BJP’s city president Karunesh Nandan garg, however, said Kejriwal had been exposed and people didn’t take his word seriously. AAp’s west zone co-ordinator Somendra Dhaka claimed the huge participation in the Thursday rally showed people’s mood against demonetisation. The members of poor and middle class were badly hit. Therefore, they came in big number to support Kejriwal, he added.