At AAP’s first Sankalp Sabha, support for Kejriwal — and discontent against BJP

The campaign, ‘Jail ka jawab vote se’, will comprise 40 sabha meetings in areas falling under the four Lok Sabha Constituencies — East, South, West and New Delhi — that the AAP is contesting as part of a seat-sharing deal with the Congress. The party’s target is to organise 200 sabhas by May 23.

Addressing the gathering, AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said, “They said Kejriwal was arrested because he is corrupt. But if there’s still anyone in the political sphere who honestly inspires people, then it’s Kejriwal.”

Attacking the BJP, he questioned, “I want to ask why it keeps changing candidates if its previous ones have done well?…”

Also at the event was AAP’s East Delhi Lok Sabha poll candidate, MLA Kuldeep Kumar, who appealed to the people to give him a chance and support the party as an answer to Kejriwal’s arrest. “Delhi votes on May 25… Let them (the BJP) know that the people of Delhi won’t tolerate such actions against their beloved CM… You have been cheated for the past 10 years… Neither Maheish Girri nor Gautam Gambhir (MPs from the constituency) showed up once…”

Several residents agreed with Kumar, expressing their disgruntlement against the ruling BJP. “Gambhir (the current East Delhi MP) plays cricket, what does he know of governance?” yelled an elderly lady, adding that people must support a local candidate so that they can reach out to them in time of need.

“Forget meeting MPs, we can’t even meet their watchmen,” said Parvez Alam, a Mandawali-based contractor. “Kejriwal has done a good job for the local people. We don’t have any issue with any party, be it AAP or BJP… we just want someone who will work for us.”

Peeved by BJP’s ‘mandir-masjid rhetoric’, Alam added, “They don’t work in sectors of employment and education… religion won’t run our homes.”

Puran Chand, a retired Delhi printing press employee, declared that he would vote against Kejriwal’s arrest. “BJP is scared of Kejriwal… Politicians are corrupt as long as they are in other parties, as soon as they join their (BJP) party… their washing machine, all become clean,” he alleged.

Dr Atul Gupta, a private anaesthesiologist, alleged that the whole motive for arresting Kejriwal was to distract people from the electoral bond issue. A former BJP loyalist, he said parties grow corrupt once they come to power. “I was a BJP supporter when Congress was in power… but once they (BJP) came to power, they surpassed Congress in corruption,” he claimed.

(The writer is an intern with The Indian Express)