BJP arrogant, give AAP a chance: Kejriwal’s goonj in roadshow
Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal and his party’s new Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stormed the streets at a labour-dominated suburb in Ahmedabad, with thousands cheering them in a blistering Saturday afternoon, as they called upon the people to give the AAP an opportunity to put a halt to the “corrupt and arrogant BJP rule of nearly three decades.”
With Mann in tow, Kejriwal asserted, “We are not here to defeat the BJP or the Congress in the coming elections, we are here to ensure victory for the people of Gujarat.” He asked the crowds, “What have you got in the 25 years of endless rule in Gujarat? Nothing but corruption. The 25 years of seamless power has gone to the head of the BJP. They have become arrogant with little concern for the people.”
Addressing a roadshow, Tiranga Yatra in Ahmedabad’s eastern labour-dominated suburb Nikol, he asserted, “We stopped corruption in the Delhi Government, Bhagwant Mann has put a halt on it in 10 days. Vote us and give an opportunity and you will see the difference.”
“When someone speaks of bribes in the Delhi Government, people say ‘don’t try this, Kejriwal aa jayega (reminiscent of the famous Sholay movie dialogue, Gabbar Singh aa jayega). And it is the same now in Punjab, Mann aa jayega,” the AAP supremo went on.
As slogans “Inquilab Zindabad”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram” reached a crescendo with thousands of Indian flags in the hands of the crowds walking through the streets
during the 2-km roadshow, Kejriwal standing atop a truck with Mann, began with a “Kem Chho”, took a pause as the crowds cheered, and said, “The spirit of the people here arouses a true sentiment of desh bhakti.”
Minutes earlier, just as Punjab CM Mann asserted, “We have conquered Delhi and Punjab, now it is the turn of Gujarat,” he was welcomed with “jeetega, bhai jeetega, Aam Aadmi jeetega (the common man will win) slogans.
Apparently concerned over the massive crowds at the Tiranga Yatra, the BJP’s social media wing went into an overdrive alleging the crowds were paid to reach there. It even uploaded videos claiming people were being paid to attend the roadshow.
Earlier in the day, the Delhi and Punjab Chief Ministers visited the Sabarmati Ashram as part of their twoday visit to the city. They
went to Hriday Kunj, where Mahatma Gandhi used to live in the ashram. They also tried their hands on ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel).
Kejriwal wrote in the visitors’ diary there, “I have visited the ashram several times in the past, and every time I visit, I feel peaceful and as if the soul of Gandhiji resides here.” Mann wrote, “Today, while visiting Gandhi Ashram, got to see many things that were used during the freedom struggle of the country, such as Gandhi’s handwritten letter, original spinning wheel, and many other things related to his life.”
The AAP sees a hope in Gujarat and has decided to contest all the 182 seats in the state assembly. Their visit to the state is being viewed as an attempt to prepare the groundwork for the party in the state, where assembly polls are scheduled to be held by the year-end.