BJP has become burden on soil of Gujarat: Arvind Kejriwal

SURENDRANAGAR(Gujarat): AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal launched a fierce attack on the BJP and said the BJP had turned into a burden on Gujarat and that in this election, the people would unite to remove it.

Addressing the Mahapanchayat, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “One hundred and fifty years ago, on 31 October, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on this sacred soil of Gujarat, and today we are celebrating his 150th birth anniversary. Sardar Patel is known as the Lion of Gujarat and India. In India’s history, the biggest fights for farmers were fought by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. In 1918, Sardar Patel led the Kheda movement against the British, and in 1928, he led the Bardoli satyagraha, and the British had to accept all their demands.”

“When Sardar Patel led movements a hundred years ago, the British never lathi-charged, never fired tear-gas shells, never filed false FIRs (First Information Report), and did not register cases under Section 307 to send farmers to jail,” he added.

Thousands of farmers gathered in Sudamda village of Surendranagar on Friday, raising their voices.

He asserted, “In the last 75 years, the people of Gujarat have never seen such a cruel, oppressive and arrogant government. Farmers are demanding the end of the ‘karda pratha’. The BJP had promised to provide MSP (Minimum Support Price) to farmers when it formed the central government, but MSP has not been given to date. When a farmer brings his crop to the mandi, under karda pratha, he is not paid the full price; farmers are being denied their rightful dues. Despite this, the police have entered farmers’ homes and beaten their children. The BJP people were celebrating Diwali in their homes, while farmers were sitting at home weeping for their jailed children. Aam Aadmi Party stands with every farmer’s family.”

Declaring solidarity and personal resolve, Arvind Kejriwal said, “A mother of one jailed farmer told me that her son is fighting for the freedom of poor farmers. She said: ‘Beat my son as much as you like, it makes no difference to me.’ I told my mother not to worry. The Aam Aadmi Party stands with the farmers. I am also your son; the police will beat your son later, but they will beat me first. I will go to jail first.”

Pointing to the BJP’s use of police, he stated, “All Gujarat farmers voted for the BJP in large numbers, and the BJP has been in government for the last 30 years. Did Gujarat’s farmers vote to see their children put in jail? Today, the BJP has developed an arrogance of power. There is massive anger among farmers across Gujarat against this arrogance. The BJP people are very cowardly; they use the police as a shield. If the BJP stops relying on the police one day, Gujarat’s farmers will drag BJP people out of their homes and run them down— there will be nowhere for them to seek shelter.”

AAP chief claimed that farmers from over 400 mandis are united and movements are ongoing in all mandis against the government.

Criticising the BJP’s “subservience to foreign pressure”, the AAP Supremo emphasised, “Farmers from over 400 mandis are united and movements are ongoing in all mandis. The BJP are so cowardly that every day they receive threats from the President of the United States, Trump, and they carry them out. When Trump asked for import duty removal on US cotton, the BJP complied; when Trump asked to stop buying crude oil from Russia, the BJP stopped buying.” (ANI)