New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members and supporters nationwide embarked on a 'samuhik upwas' or collective hunger strike today, denouncing the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case related to the city's liquor policy.
Addressing the campaign in Delhi, AAP leader Sandeep Pathak remarked, "Fasting cleanses the mind and spirit. Today, we beseech the divine for the strength and blessings to empower Arvind Kejriwal to persist in his struggle."
Gopal Rai, another AAP leader, highlighted the widespread participation of Kejriwal's supporters both within India and abroad in the party's fasting initiative.
AAP legislators and officials congregated at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Khatkar Kalan in Punjab, the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, undertaking a collective fast, as confirmed by senior AAP leader Gopal Rai. AAP members and supporters in various other regions of the country also observed mass fasting in solidarity with Kejriwal.
Last month, AAP had called for a 'gherao' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, during which numerous AAP leaders and workers, including women, were forcefully escorted to various police stations in the national capital.
AAP has criticized the BJP for the timing of Kejriwal's arrest, alleging a deliberate attempt to obstruct his campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. AAP ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj assured Delhi residents that despite his detention, the Chief Minister remains dedicated to their welfare.
AAP remains steadfast in its stance that there will be no change in leadership, even if it means Kejriwal has to operate as Chief Minister from prison. In contrast, the BJP has dismissed Kejriwal's proposed "work from jail plan" as insincere.
Kejriwal's arrest has prompted unity among opposition parties, overshadowing recent internal conflicts.
Demonstrating solidarity, the INDIA alliance organized a massive rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, accusing the BJP of undermining the opposition through central investigative agencies.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in connection to the alleged liquor policy scandal, following his failure to comply with nine summons from central agencies. He has been governing from the ED lock-up since then.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has labeled Kejriwal as a "conspirator," alleging that the now-defunct policy facilitated substantial profits, with bribe money purportedly funding AAP's election campaigns.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, along with Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K. Kavitha, have also been arrested in connection with the case. Opposition leaders refute the allegations, accusing the BJP-led central government of exploiting investigative agencies such as the ED and CBI for political ends.
Atishi said this
Delhi minister and party leader Atishi said the people of Delhi love Arvind Kejriwal and they don’t think of him as a CM but as their son, or brother.
“All want the bail for Arvind Kejriwal. BJP’s ED and CBI haven’t been able to show a single penny of liquor scam from the leaders of AAP. If there is any money trail in this issue, it’s from liquor trader Sharat Reddy to the BJP. Why BJP’s has not been raided, or accused, why has the BJP’s National President not been summoned or arrested?” she asked.
Protest in Bhopal
Workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gathered at Neelam Park on Sunday to protest the recent arrest of their leader, Arvind Kejriwal. The demonstration was part of a nationwide movement to express solidarity with Kejriwal and denounce what AAP members perceive as politically motivated actions against their leader.
The process of gathering of AAP workers began since morning in Bhopal's Neelam Park. Party state president Rani Aggarwal was present in this event. Many big faces of Congress were also seen. Actually, Congress candidate from Bhopal Arun Srivastava participated in this fast under the India Alliance.
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