AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he was not a terrorist and deserved to be called by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for a meeting out of courtesy.
“Now I wanted to meet him, but we were stopped 5 km away from his residence. I am not a terrorist. Being an ex-CM, I deserve a courtesy call from Modi, instead we were stopped. This is not democracy,” he told reporters in Jaipur on his unsuccessful attempt to meet the BJP prime ministerial candidate in Gandhinagar on Friday morning.
Trashing claims of development and good governance in Gujarat, Mr. Kejriwal said the State “has nothing but rampant corruption” and the voice of farmers was being suppressed.
Mr. Kejriwal, who toured Gujarat for the last two days, said a picture totally different from reality was presented about Gujarat during the last one year by Mr. Modi and a section of media under a “big conspiracy”.
“What I saw in the last three days was totally different from what is being presented by Gujarat. Our teams visited villages and exposed the truth. When locals came to know about the AAP visits, they called us and told us the reality,” Mr. Kejriwal said at a seminar in Jaipur.
“Corruption is rampant in Gujarat. I was told that rates for transfers and appointments are fixed. For the job of State Registrar, the rate is Rs. 33 lakh and for transfer of a DSP, Rs 2.75 crore. Without bribe, you cannot have a license or a BPL card and cannot run an industry.”
Mr. Kejriwal said he wanted to meet Mr. Modi as the Gujarat Chief Minister had not replied to his letter on gas price issue.
“Was I a terrorist that police stopped me that also at a distance of 5 km from the residence of Narendra Modi? I along with three persons wanted to meet the CM but we were stopped.
“I agree that he would be preoccupied but this was not the way to avoid a meeting. Even if he had no time for meeting us, he should have shown courtesy to call me, a former chief minister, to his office to convey that he is not able to meet,” he said.
He said that a government’s top priority should be providing security, followed by ensuring timely delivery of justice and corruption-free governance.
“During my visit to Gujarat, three attacks on us took place. If such incident can happen with a former chief minister then what can we expect for the people of Gujarat?”
On claims about Gujarat’s progress, he said, “The condition of schools and hospitals and health centres is the worst. I visited a primary health centre which was like a garbage dumping ground.”
Raising the Narmada dam issue, he claimed the height was raised in 2005 but it did not served its purpose.
“Walls of the dam have cracks which itself speaks of corruption. Farmers allege that their lands were grabbed and handed over to industrialists without any compensation,” Mr. Kejriwal said, while expressing surprise on Mr. Modi being presented as an icon of development.
He alleged that Mr. Modi government has failed to provide good governance and security to people.
Mr. Kejriwal highlighted that there was a need to clean the politics and the system which cannot be done without active participation of the aam aadmi .
“There is dirty politics everywhere. There is no lack of resources or money in the country but lack of willpower. All the problems can be solved with a strong will power. Aam aadmi does not need big projects, he wants that his genuine problem be resolved,” he said.
The AAP leader flew in from Gujarat and addressed a seminar organised by Rajasthan Patrika . He skipped a scheduled press conference before leaving the venue.
He said there would be fractured mandate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“There will be fractured mandate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections… And the new government would be able to function for one or one-and-a-half years,” he said responding to a question during the session.
Continuing his tirade against the Congress and the BJP, he said, “It is not Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi who is running the nation. It is Mukesh Ambani and people like him who are actually ruling.
“Those political leaders are faces only and if Modi becomes Prime Minister, this system will not change and Ambanis will continue to rule.”
“We are not fighting with BJP or Congress, we are fighting against corruption and communalism and all these parties are their manifestation.
“As far as Modi is concerned, there is no wave of Modi but a wave of pain and anger against Modi in his own State. There is no rule of law for Adani group in Gujarat and coastal areas have been been sold to selected corporate houses,” he alleged.
Mr. Kejriwal claimed that corruption reduced by half during his rule in Delhi and his government took several decisions which provided relief to the common man.
The AAP leader said he dared to challenge big leaders as well as corporates.
“If we did not have blessings of God, we would have been finished by now,” he said.
