The Aam Admi Party (AAP) is set to contest next year’s Assembly polls in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal announced, while addressing a huge rally in Surat on Sunday.
“The Aam Admi will take on the Congress and the ruling BJP in Gujarat in the Assembly polls,” Mr. Kejriwal said, while accusing the BJP government of crushing democracy in Gujarat.
“The Patidars who were demanding reservation here were shot at and killed? Why were they killed and at whose behest were they shot at? They were our citizens, not terrorists. The stories that I have heard from the families of those who were killed made me cry,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The politicians who ordered the firing on Patidar youth have to be punished and the people of Gujarat will punish them,” he said, stressing that the AAP supported the Patidar community’s main demand for reservation and quota.
In his 30-minute speech, Mr. Kejriwal’s main target was BJP president Amit Shah, who had faced protests by Patidars two months back during a social event in the city. “The next Assembly polls in Gujarat will see a ‘revolution’. Amit Shah is on one side and the aam aadmi, who is poor, struggles for survival on the other side. But when the aam aadmi stands up, the likes of Shah will lose power.”
“The entire Gujarat knows who is running the State. Every instruction comes from Delhi. Earlier, Anandiben refused to follow Amit Shah’s instructions and she was shown the door. Vijay Rupani has been installed as CM and he obeys every instruction and command of Shah,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lauding the 23-year-old Hardik for spearheading the Patidar agitation, Mr. Kejriwal called him a “patriot.”