Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal will visit Gujarat along with senior party leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on July 23-24, said the party's state chief Isudan Gadhvi on Friday. The two main agendas of the national leaders of the party will be to attend the Kisan-Pashupalak (cattle herders) Mahapanchayat, scheduled to take place in Modasa city of Aravalli, and address a public gathering in Dediapada where its incumbent MLA Chaitar Vasava has been arrested by the police. Gadhvi, speaking at a press conference, said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had crossed the heights of corruption and were now “victimising farmers and cattle herders”. He said, “I spoke to Kejriwal ji that the condition of the farmers as well as the cattle herders in Gujarat has become very miserable. So, to become the voice of the farmers and cattle breeders' associations of Gujarat, Kejriwal ji will attend the event at Modasa on July 23. Punjab CM Mann will also be present,” said Gadhvi. On the prospective public gathering in Dediapada on July 24, in support of MLA Vasava, Gadhvi said, “AAP's Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava has raised many questions among the tribal community and has also exposed scams worth thousands of crores like MNREGA. Due to this, the BJP government has now framed him in false cases and sent him to jail.” He said, “Due to this, people in the entire tribal area are opposing the action taken by the BJP government. In support of MLA Vasava and to become the voice of the tribal community, Kejriwalji and Bhagwant Saheb will address a massive public meeting in Dediapada.” Earlier this month, Vasava was arrested in an alleged case of attempt to murder a BJP leader during a brawl at a taluka-level meeting. Raising the issue of the recent death of a cattle herder after the Sabar Dairy protest, an AAP statement quoted Gadhvi as saying, “A few days ago, the BJP government brutally lathi-charged farmers who went to Sabar Dairy to demand a rise in milk prices. The police also fired expired tear gas canisters, due to which a cattle herder from a poor family died. Farmers and cattle breeders who went out to demand justice under the BJP rule are dying today. This is a very sad incident. We also went to the house of the deceased cattle breeder and we saw his kin in a miserable condition.” On Monday, following a stir by cattle rearers, a protester died after complaining of chest pain. While the AAP alleged that the man died due to police action, police claimed that the death took place hours after the farmer went back home. “The farmers had demanded a 19% price hike, which was the same as what was given last year, but the dairy did not agree. This situation is the same every year. First, they do not give the price hike, then there is a stir and an innocent person dies. Once that happens, they announce the price hike. We demand that this announcement be made within the next two days,” said Gadhvi. The AAP leader demanded that all cases against cattle herders be withdrawn, an investigation committee headed by a retired High Court judge be formed to provide justice to the cattle herder who died, all the officials and leaders who gave the lathi charge order be booked for murder, the protesting cattle herders get the price hike they are demanding, and the family of the deceased cattle herder be given Rs 1 crore compensation. A day after the protest, a case was registered against hundreds of people for allegedly attacking the police and damaging public property.
