New Delhi: AAP brass sought to convey a message of “business as usual” to the cadre on Thursday, even as it feared the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy case. The party announced that Kejriwal will kick-start AAP’s Lok Sabha campaign with a three-day tour of Gujarat from Saturday.
Kejriwal will address party workers and a public meeting in Gujarat, where the party had polled 12.91% votes in the 2022 assembly elections. Since then, it has worked to build on the momentum and strengthen its organisation.
The Gujarat visit will set into motion the extensive Lok Sabha election campaign being planned for Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann. Kejriwal will follow it up with meetings in Haryana, another state the party is eyeing. The AAP convenor will also meet Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava, who has been lodged in jail for alleged extortion and assault of forest officials on November 2, 2023. Vasava had been booked after he allegedly threatened forest department officials and fired one round in the air with a weapon at his residence at Dediapada in Narmada district on October 30.
Amid speculation over his arrest in the liquor case, the CM addressed a press conference and said: “My honesty is my biggest asset and weapon. By arresting me, BJP wants to hurt me through these fake cases… There are false cases being foisted against political leaders. The moment you join BJP, these cases are either dropped or put in cold storage. The reason why Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain are in jail because they refused to join BJP. They have kept many of our leaders in jail and now want to arrest me.”
Linking ED summons to his campaigning, Kejriwal said, “This investigation has been going on for two years. Why am I being called now, just before the Lok Sabha elections? Why was I not called earlier?”It is not the first time he has been summoned by a central agency in the case. Kejriwal said. “Call Kejriwal on some pretext and arrest him so that I cannot campaign in the Lok Sabha polls.”
