Rajkot: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday claimed he was denied permission to meet the jailed farmers and party workers in Rajkot and accused the Gujarat government of being “more oppressive” than the British.
Kejriwal said he had sought prior permission to meet the jailed farmers.
Police had arrested 88 farmers and AAP leaders for staging protests in Haddad village of Botad district in October. Of them, 46 are still behind bars.
Censuring the ruling BJP further, Kejriwal claimed that despite repeated public concerns, issues like illicit liquor and narcotics remain widespread in the state. “There is fake liquor in the whole of Gujarat. Drugs can be bought easily here. The BJP government is incompetent to catch them. But they arrested the farmers who were raising their voice peacefully,” he remarked.
Positioning the Aam Aadmi Party as a growing force in Gujarat politics, Kejriwal said residents had been left with no real choice earlier. “Until now, people had no choice as the BJP and Congress were in collusion. Now people have an option: Aam Aadmi Party, and gradually, AAP is reaching every household across Gujarat,” he said. He predicted significant political change in the next state election. “After two years, the BJP government will be gone… all the false FIRs filed to intimidate people will be withdrawn,” he asserted.
Drawing a parallel with the colonial era, he added, “There was a time when the Britishers thought they could not be removed from India. Similarly, the BJP government will be evacuated from Gujarat soon.”
Demanding immediate release of the remaining detained farmers, Kejriwal said the BJP must “break its arrogance” or “nature will take its course.”
