Hadadad agitation will turn into a ‘BJP Quit Gujarat’ movement: Kejriwal in Rajkot

Notable among AAP leaders still in jail include Pravin Ram and Raju Karpada.

“We have to chase BJP out of Gujarat. It is only then that people will get justice. Only andolan (agitation) will not do anymore. The next time you go to press the button (of the voting machine), that is what will give you justice. I was told that 88 people were arrested and as we just heard, nobody did stonepelting but had gathered to demand for the abolition of kadada pratha,” said Kejriwal at the meeting at Engineering Association Hall in Rajkot’s Bhaktinagar area.

The national convenor of AAP added, “The false cases they have filed and kept you in jail for more than two months. I promise you that until every one of your children are not released from jail, we will not sit silent. We have set up a team of lawyers and will have everyone out soon enough. You have shown immense bravery. You have come here today and I’m very sure you must have been pressured not to attend this function. But you still came. You have given courage to the entire state to stand against the BJP.”

On October 10, AAP held a protest at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Botad town against the kadada pratha.

AAP then called for a kisan mahapanchayat in Hadadad village on October 12, 5 km from Botad town. When the police arrived, some people threw stones and bottles at them and a police jeep was overturned. Resultantly, the police carried out a lathicharge and fired 20 teargas shells.

In the wee hours of October 13, an FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by Paliyad police station Inspector PD Vanda, on behalf of the State. The AAP leaders and workers were booked for attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, assaulting a public servant, voluntarily causing hurt to a public servant, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, among others. They were also booked for destruction of public property and for being in violation of a notification promulgated by a public servant.

PI MG Jadeja of Special Operations Group (SOG) of Botad Police, who is the Investigation Officer (IO) of this case, told the Indian Express on Monday, “While initially, 65 people had been arrested, the total number of people now named in the case stands at 88 accused persons of which 73 were arrested while 15 are still absconding. Of the 73 placed under arrest, a total of 42 people are out on bail and 31 are in judicial custody. The bail applications of at least five accused have been rejected by the court till date.”

Of these, major leaders from AAP include Raju Karpada, Pravin Ram, Raju Borkhatariya, and Piyush Sindhav. The inspector said that the police have more than 10 videos as well as call data recordings and communications as evidence in the case, apart from statements of witnesses.

Kejriwal added, “You are not fighting for yourselves, but for all the poor farmers of Gujarat. For 250 years, the British ruled us. For a time, it felt like we would never have independence. The British were arrogant enough to believe this. But Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel got us our freedom. Today, BJP has ruled Gujarat for 30 years and they too have become arrogant enough to believe that they cannot be removed from power and that is why they are trying to control people with lathi and tear gas shells.”

The former Delhi CM added, “But fear is leaving the minds of the people of Gujarat. I came to meet you last month when I came to know the torture inflicted upon you in Hadadad, how they used lathicharge and teargas shelling, false FIRs filed and people were put in jail. I came to meet you and they didn’t let me do so. We made a separate stage for you then but the police tore it down. That’s why I came to meet you today.” Kejriwal was referring to his kisan mahapanchayat in Surendranagar on October 31.

Speaking about the attack on AAP’s Visavadar MLA Gopal Italia, Kejriwal said, “Italia was commenting on the BJP and a Congress worker hit him with a shoe. Congress was hurt when he commented on the BJP. Congress people got calls from Delhi, asking them to stop Italia from commenting against the BJP.

What is happening here? Now you have an alternative in AAP. Don’t get scared of FIRs and jail. I stayed in jail for six months. Manish Sisodia was there for 2.5 years. Six major AAP leaders have gone to jail for the country. They raided my home and didn’t find money and didn’t find any on our bank accounts as well. I was CM of Delhi for 10 years, I didn’t earn any money.”

Kejriwal also promised retribution, saying, “Within two years, the BJP government is going. All the false FIRs will be closed within 24 hours of our government coming to power and the BJP ministers sending farmers to jail will themselves be sent to jail.”