Arvind Kejriwal rallies for Congress candidates

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, May 15

Loudspeakers blared, flags waved and party workers from both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) united under the INDIA bloc as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took out a rally in support of Congress candidates here on Wednesday.

‘BJP wants to change Constitution’

The reason the BJP is aiming for 400 plus seats is because it wants to amend the Constitution and abolish reservation. We cannot allow this to happen. We must protect the Constitution, so come out in large numbers to support the alliance. — Arvind Kejriwal, CM

After the CM’s arrest on March 21, both parties have forged a stronger alliance. Following his relief from the Supreme Court in the Delhi excise policy case until June 1, Kejriwal campaigned for Congress candidates for the first time.

The roadshow commenced from Model Town for Congress’ Chandni Chowk candidate Jai Prakash Agarwal. Addressing the residents, Kejriwal urged, “If you want to prevent them from sending me to jail, then come out and vote for Agarwal.”

“I arranged free treatment and medicines for the people of Delhi, but when these people put me in Tihar Jail, they stopped my insulin supply there. These people tried their best to break me in jail but with the blessings of Bajrang Bali, I did not break,” he added.

At a local tea stall affectionately dubbed “Kejriwal’s tea stall”, stall owner Surinder Gupta was overheard discussing with autorickshaw driver Wali Mohammad. Gupta remarked that since AAP came to power in the municipal body, they haven’t been asked to vacate the footpaths. “We’re just trying to earn a living. If they want us to move, they should provide job opportunities, which the BJP government hasn’t done.”

Wali Mohammad added, “Similarly, for auto-rickshaw drivers, Kejriwal created a stand so that the police wouldn’t keep moving us around. This rally began from this very place, making it significant for us.” They said even though AAP was not contesting from here, they would support its partner Congress.

Gaurav, a resident of Model Town, emphasised, “Agarwal is a highly respected leader. He has served as an MP five times, and his father was a freedom fighter.”

During a roadshow in Jahangirpuri, Kejriwal expressed support for Udit Raj and Kanhaiya Kumar. He addressed the gathering, stating, “The reason the BJP is aiming for 400 plus seats is because they want to amend the Constitution and abolish reservation. We cannot allow this to happen. We must protect the Constitution, so come out in large numbers to support the alliance.”

Bijoy Kumar, a resident of Burari in North East Delhi, said, “We appreciate AAP, but it hasn’t fulfilled its promises, and the freebies are detrimental to the people. The BJP will likely come to power because there’s no leader in the country who can challenge Narendra Modi.”