Ahmedabad: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann have begun their two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat from today (October 8, Saturday). Assembly elections in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state are scheduled by the year-end. During these two days, Kejriwal, who is AAP’s national convener, and Mann will hold an important meeting with social and other leaders in the state to chalk out plans for the upcoming elections, the party’s state general secretary Manoj Sorathiya said.
Anti-AAP posters put up by BJP, claims Aam Aadmi Party
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday alleged that the ruling BJP in Gujarat was putting up anti-AAP posters in Ahmedabad and playing the Hindutva card to digress the people’s attention from its failures.
AAP leader Indranil Rajguru charged the ruling party with failing to give qualitative education and health facilities, and generate employment. Justifying his allegations, Rajguru said BJP is in power in Rajkot Municipal Corporation, and the state government, so such hoardings in public places have come up overnight, these were put up on Friday night and the corporation has not removed them. Had it been put up by any other party, the Municipal Corporation officers would have swung into action and removed it. Party will take legal action for putting up such anti-AAP hoardings.
He further alleged that had the ruling party been giving good social services, people would have not started liking AAP. He alleged that the ruling party is not able to digest the rising popularity of AAP in Gujarat and fearing losing electoral ground in the state, BJP has returned to its old tricks of playing Hindutva card.
The said posters and hoardings mention an alleged oath taken by AAP minister Rajdendra Pal while adopting Buddhism – “I will now onwards not believe in Lord Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh”. The hoardings also show Arvind Kejriwal in a skull cap and state, “These are AAP’s words and culture.”
BJP state vice-president Bharat Boghra has refuted allegations of his party being behind the hoardings, saying the people of Gujarat will never accept anti-Hindu thinking and beliefs.
Kiren Rijiju slams Kejriwal & Co
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju hit out at the AAP and its leadership saying he does not understand why Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and “his gang” hate Hindu and Hindutva so much. The minister’s remarks came after a video clip purportedly showing Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam at an event where hundreds took a pledge to convert to Buddhism while denouncing Hindu deities went viral. In a series of tweets posted late on Friday night and on Saturday morning, Rijiju said, “I really don’t understand the reason as to why Arvind Kejriwal and his gang hate Hindu and Hindutva so much.” “I can understand about Rahul Gandhi but Arvind Kejriwal….,” the BJP MP from Arunachal Pradesh said.
Every Indian should follow the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’, he added.