Cong worker throws shoe at AAP MLA Gopal Italia in Jamnagar, beaten up 

When Italia was delivering his speech, a man sitting on the ground close to the stage stood up and hurled a shoe at him. Italia protected himself and escaped unhurt.  The AAP leaders who were on stage caught hold of him and started beating him. The police present on the spot caught the man and took him to the government hospital.

Later, the person involved in the act was identified as Chhatrapalsinh Jadeja, a Congress worker from Jamnagar town.

In a special media post later, Italia said he did not want to lodge a complaint on the incident. “I simply forgive the one who did this act—praying that God keeps this person and his family happy,” he wrote.

Taking to X, AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal said that the growing popularity of AAP in Gujarat has shattered both BJP and Congress.

“We have been consistently raising questions about the BJP’s failures, but why is Congress pained…Why? A Congress worker hurled a shoe at AAP MLA Gopal Italia during a public meeting in Jamnagar. This shows that in Gujarat, the BJP and Congress are jointly fighting against the AAP,” Kejriwal wrote on X.

“The AAP leaders are not afraid of such incidents. The public of Gujarat has now decided on change and is coming towards AAP, and for that, both these political parties are afraid,” the AAP chief said.

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda condemned the incident and said that the Congress has no role in it. “We condemn the shoe-throwing incident at AAP MLA Gopal Italia. One can oppose differently, but doing such an act is not good. The Congress party is not behind the incident. In 2017, it was Gopal Italia who hurled a shoe at the then-home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja,” Chavda said.
Later, a video of Chhatrapalsinh Jadeja went viral on social media where he is purportedly heard saying that he “took revenge” for former minister of state for home Pradipsinh Jadeja.

“A long time ago, Gopal Italia had hurled a shoe at Pradipsinh Jadeja when he was home minister of Gujarat. Today I got a chance and I threw a shoe at Gopal Italia,” the man is heard saying.

AAP state general secretary (organisation) Manoj Sorathiya called it a “low-level act”.  “These anti-social elements came to the meeting, surrounded by Harsh Sanghavi’s police team, and hurled a shoe. The BJP and Congress are afraid of the AAP’s growing popularity and campaign in Gujarat,” he said. “If they want to scare Gopalbhai Italia by hurling shoes at him and stop the AAP, then those people should open their ears and listen that the AAP is not going to be deterred by such incidents,”  Sorathiya said.