The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday intensified protests against the BJP, demanding resignation of Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, and questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on issues involving the trio.
The party’s frontal organisations mobilised scores of protesters for a rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi who later marched towards Parliament, but were stopped by police near Parliament street police station.
Led by AAP’s Delhi convener Dilip Pandey, the protesters raised slogans against the BJP trio and also Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde for her alleged involvement in a “Rs. 200 crore scam”.
Mr. Pandey attacked the Prime Minister saying he was “silent” as leaders like Ms. Raje had put up a show of strength by rallying “110 MLAs behind her”.
“Modiji is silent out of compulsion. Ms. Raje has put up a display of strength which has scared Modi,” he said.
The leader said Mr. Modi’s inaction would “cost BJP heavy” just as the Congress “had paid” for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s silence.
“If Modi doesn’t ensure their resignation, people of the country would consider that to be his abdication of duty,” he said.
Pandey was more shrill in his attack on Ms. Raje, saying she had committed “an act of treason” by “assisting a fugitive like Lalit Modi.”
“...Swaraj endorsed Lalit Modi. They (Raje and Swaraj) seem to disregard constitutional provisions with impunity. So they have no right to continue in their posts,” he said.
The protests rent the air with slogans such as ‘(Narendra) Modi-(Lalit) Modi bhai bhai (brothers)’, and ‘ Modi ji muh toh kholo...bhrastachar pe kuch toh bolo ’ (Modi ji, please open your mouth and speak up on corruption).”
Several AAP leaders including the MLAs Saurabh Bharadwaj and Alka Lamba took part in the protests.
Mr. Bhardwaj said the party would be relentless in its demands and would continue to protest till the accused Ministers are sacked.
The party leaders were heard repeatedly asking volunteers not to get into confrontation with the police. Police detained four protesters who were later released. One had to be hospitalised as he fell ill.
AAP has been aggressive against BJP and the Centre after the arrest of its leader and former Delhi Law Minister Jitendra Singh Tomar in a fake degree case. Following this, it has also been demanding resignation of Ms. Irani in a case where she has given different information in three different affidavits before the election commission.
It has also held protests outside residences of Ms. Swaraj and Ms. Irani over the past two weeks.
It has also been aggressive in the Lalit Modi controversy and has stepped up its attack on Ms. Swaraj and Ms. Raje, demanding their sacking.
