NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a ‘padayatra’ in the Karol Bagh area of the national capital on Sunday evening.
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre over the ‘worsening’ law and order situation in the national capital, Kejriwal said that had the Delhi Police been under AAP, they would have fixed the law and order situation just like they have improved the hospitals, schools and electricity facilities.
“I am very worried about the law and order situation prevailing all around in Delhi these days. I roam around in Delhi from morning till evening. I’ve noticed a pervasive sense of fear among the people. Everywhere I go, people express their apprehension about venturing out, fearing for their safety,” he said.
The AAP supremo said that he ‘fulfilled’ all the responsibilities entrusted to him, while BJP “failed miserably” in the only responsibility of providing security to the residents of Delhi. Further pointing out the recent crime incidents in the city, he called for immediate attention to Delhi’s law and order situation.
“The recent incidents are a stark reminder of the city’s deteriorating law and order situation. For instance, a businessman was brutally shot eight times in Shahdara’s Vishwas Nagar while returning from a walk. Similarly, a murder was reported in Govindpuri, where a person was stabbed to death. Furthermore, a policeman was killed in the same area just a week ago. You voted for me and made me the Chief Minister 10 years ago…You asked me to fix the schools, hospitals, and electricity…I did,” Kejriwal said.
He added, “The BJP was entrusted with a single responsibility – to provide security – but they’ve failed miserably, leaving Delhi in a state of chaos. Today, the city is plagued by lawlessness, with even a single person struggling to feel safe. Delhi Police is not under us. If it was under our control, the city wouldn’t be in such a dire state today. With authority over the police, we would have restored law and order like we transformed the city’s infrastructure, including electricity, hospitals, and schools.”
Taking to the social media platform X, Kejriwal stated, “Today during my march in Karol Bagh, the warmth I received from every street and every door made me realise that people’s trust is the foundation of our every step.”
आज करोल बाग की पदयात्रा के दौरान हर गली और हर दरवाज़े से जो अपनापन मिला, उसने ये एहसास दिलाया कि जनता का भरोसा ही हमारे हर कदम की नींव है। pic.twitter.com/tk4uFCIsdZ
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 8, 2024
AAP also shared a post on X stating, “The enthusiasm with which Delhiites welcomed @ArvindKejriwal ji during the padayatra in Karol Bagh today was very emotional and inspiring. Even after 10 years, the people of Delhi still love their son Arvind Kejriwal as much and want him to be their Chief Minister. The local MLA @iamVisheshravi was also present during this march.”
आज करोल बाग में पदयात्रा के दौरान @ArvindKejriwal जी का जिस उत्साह से दिल्लीवालों ने स्वागत किया, वो बहुत ही भावुक और प्रेरणात्मक था♥️10 साल बाद भी दिल्ली की जनता अपने बेटे अरविंद केजरीवाल से आज भी उतना ही प्यार करती है और उन्हें ही अपना मुख्यमंत्री बनाना चाहती है।💯इस… pic.twitter.com/Ydp6widi1b
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 8, 2024
Earlier this week, Kejriwal accused the BJP of ‘trying to cut votes’ from the voter lists ahead of the Delhi Assembly election.The former CM alleged that the BJP had submitted an application to the Election Commission of India to cut the votes of 11,000 people, citing that either these people had shifted or passed away. Kejriwal added that AAP randomly checked 500 people from the list and found that 372 people are still living there.
Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March this year, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, came out of Tihar Jail last month, after being granted bail by the Supreme Court.
After coming out, in a surprising move, the AAP national convenor announced his resignation from the CM post and said he won’t take the position, till the public gives him the “certificate of honesty” by making AAP victorious again in the assembly elections next year. Party leader and minister Atishi succeeded him as the Chief Minister.
The Assembly polls in Delhi are expected to be held in early 2015. After winning 67 out of 70 seats in 2015, AAP again won 62 seats in the 2020 assembly elections. While BJP took its tally to eight seats, Congress failed to open its account for the second straight time. (ANI)